Chapter 7

It had been two years since the boar incident.

When it got cold and the snow fell, and then melted and the weather warmed up, it was time to celebrate the New Year. Whether it was in this village, this region, or this country, I don't know, but there was a small festival at the start of the New Year.

On these rare festive days, everyone would forget their work and enjoy dancing and special dishes. It was customary to eat sugar candies shaped like cows to wish for a happy year. The materials were distributed to those in charge for the year, and they would make them in their spare time. This year, Frau's mother was in charge, and it was difficult to stop Frau from trying to help by saying, "I'll help too!" She would always try to get involved when her mother was kneading the white mass and shaping it into cows. As a result, the quota of about thirty was never completed. They made about three a day and finished in about a week.

I secretly added a few to the count, but no one noticed.

During the festival, I sneaked one and ate it. It was sweet and delicious, but the hardened sugar was oddly crumbly and hard to eat.

In the village square, fortune-telling also took place.

A large basin was filled with water, and a pot next to it contained a metal that was being heated and melted. Those who wished to have their fortune told paid the equivalent of a half-copper coin to the fortune-teller. They were then given a small ladle to scoop up the metal and drop it into the basin. With a sizzling sound and steam, the metal would solidify, and the fortune-teller would read the shape.

Honestly, I couldn't see the difference in the shapes. The fortune-teller would make a serious face and say things like, "This corner is good" or "This roundness means something," but sometimes they would say the opposite of what they told the previous customer.

However, it usually ended with, "So, you'll have a good year this year."

It felt like a festival tradition, and I found it rather enjoyable.

There was also a practical benefit.

The fuel used to melt the metal for the fortune-telling was old clothes. After winter, people would bring clothes they no longer needed, and they would be thrown into the fire as needed. From this pile, I would take a few items that could still be used and wear them for the year. They were old clothes, but to me, they felt like new fabric, and the texture was somehow pleasant.

Frau was now old enough to help with farm work.

Although still clumsy, she was not yet allowed to handle tools like hoes, but she could carry things.

Today, Frau was carrying water.

She would draw water from the well, fill a bucket, and carry it to the water jar by the field. She repeated this task many times.

I would subtly support her when she almost fell. Sometimes she would notice and look confused, but she hadn't caught on yet. In fact, it would be troublesome if she did.

In the past, when she first started helping, Frau had a major accident where she spilled the bucket. It was a disaster.

At first, she looked puzzled, not understanding what had happened, but then she quickly realized her clothes were soaked. Her face then showed a mix of shock, fear of being scolded, and discomfort with the wet clothes. She then burst into loud, very loud tears. Her parents, startled by the noise, rushed over, and she panicked even more, crying with a wide-open mouth and a louder voice.

I wouldn't let that happen again. To prevent such incidents, I decided to keep an eye on Frau while she worked. She needed to be smiling.

Today, it was finally time for Frau's nap, and I could come for my lookout training.

Since the boar incident, Kasoku and Shium had been taking turns guiding the training.

It seemed that Kasoku and Shium had been friends since before the village was established and were both explorers.

Explorers were jack-of-all-trades in this world. Originally, they explored the many ruins in the Holy Territory, bringing back magical artifacts and gold coins. However, the Holy Territory was harsh, with many deaths and little profit. Some explorers started collecting and selling medicinal materials, using their exploration skills. They also began taking on monster hunting requests for self-defense. They eventually took on various tasks, such as transporting goods and providing protection, becoming jack-of-all-trades. They often formed parties, sharing rewards and dividing tasks.

Shium and Kasoku were part of such a party, with others in the group, but they were the main fighters.

After the lookout training, Kichi was left behind for further training. He was turning sixteen next year, becoming an adult, and would leave the village. Perhaps because of this, the training had become more intense in the past six months.

"Too slow! I'm putting force into my right hand, so be ready for a thrust!"

"Yes!"

Kichi's ability to follow the training was impressive. Compared to two years ago, his movements had improved, and his reaction speed and stamina had significantly increased.

"Alright! Time for a break! Now, it's time to build stamina!"

"Wha, what, already, sir?"

The stamina training was brutal, but Kichi did it every day, which was impressive. I genuinely thought so.

"Once you can't move, that's when the real test begins! You can't move your spear, can't take a step, and that's when your actions decide your fate. Move, move faster!"

"Yes, sir..."

Push-ups began. Now, he did two sets of a thousand without a break. After that, three thousand full squats, twenty climbs of a ten-meter tree, and so on, pushing himself to his limits.

I joined in on the side. I couldn't match his numbers, but I tried my best when Kichi was moving, not worrying about the count.

Of course, I reached my limit before halfway.

Panting heavily, I looked at Kichi.

This world had ki and magic. I didn't know how strong Kichi was in this world. I only knew the forest and this village. And no one in this world knew me. Recently, I had felt a bit lonely.

"Thank you, sir."

Kichi and I finished our training. Kichi seemed to have reached his limit, and so had I. Despite the strain, I tried to run to Frau, but my legs wouldn't move.

"St, st, st..."

My legs dragged, and my flight was awkward. I wasn't in good form today.

Recently, my magic had been acting up. My flight was off, but the transparency and soundproofing spells still worked, so I hadn't been too concerned. However, this was the first time my legs were so affected.

I slumped onto a tree where I usually slept. I thought a short rest would help, but a strong drowsiness overcame me. I was worried about Frau, but I thought a short nap wouldn't hurt... right... u...

"Whoa!"

I woke up to the chirping of birds. It was clearly morning. I had slept from yesterday afternoon until morning, and without any precautions.

I was lucky nothing happened, but it was clearly careless. The transparency spell wasn't perfect. Once, a dog had come close, probably suspicious of the smell.

I used magic to produce water, washed my face, and rinsed my mouth.

After securing food, I would go to Frau.

Today, Frau was weeding. Of course, she wasn't doing it alone. The whole family was weeding the field.

Frau was crouched, sweating as she pulled weeds. It was warm, even in spring. I wasn't trying to cool her down, but as a magic practice, I decided to create a cold breeze.

How do you make a cold breeze? Creating a regular breeze wouldn't be enough. I wanted to create a physically cold breeze.

I could make ice, which used more magic than water but was easy.

Ah, right. I could create cold air and move it. It was relatively simple.

It wasn't a good magic practice, but it would be a waste not to use it. I directed it at Frau.

She closed her eyes in pleasure. Yes, it was worth it.

One day.

I felt very good today. My body felt light and refreshed.

I jumped from my usual tree and landed silently. The view seemed wider than usual.

It was a good morning.

I bit into a fruit for breakfast and planned my day. There wasn't much to do, as I had a stable life for years. I just wandered and trained my body.

I walked into the forest without much thought. I was used to this area. I dipped my feet in the usual stream and wiped my sweaty body with a wet rag. The cold water felt good.

I stopped, noticing something odd in the water. I tilted my head, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

Feeling refreshed, I ran through the forest. I used the roots as footholds, leaped over thickets, and headed for the edge of the forest.

The early morning sprint was tough, and I was out of breath. I caught my breath while looking at the village and recast the transparency spell. I was used to this.

"Hi, hello."

Today, Frau surprisingly called out to me.

"Hi... hello."

I noticed something odd after responding. Frau could see me.

"Nice to meet you, where are you from? I'm Frau. I live in that house..."

Sweat poured from my body. What was wrong? Was the transparency spell not working? Why? I tried to think while responding to Frau's questions. My thoughts were scattered.

"I just moved here recently. Frau... are you helping with the housework?"

The transparency spell wasn't working? I couldn't test it now. Even if it worked, disappearing in front of Frau would be unnatural. When did it stop working? It was working when I left the forest. I had been watching Frau work, so it must have stopped working just now. If I could hide the unnaturalness, I could still get away.

"Yeah, weeding! We're going to plant tubers soon, so we need to prepare the field!"

"Okay, good luck."

"Thanks!"

I quickly distanced myself from Frau as she waved and went inside. I needed to hurry to the forest. It would be unnatural for an unknown child to suddenly appear in a village where everyone knew each other.

I could handle a child, but if an adult saw me, it would be troublesome. Fortunately, Frau's house was near the edge of the village, about 500 meters from the forest.

I needed to get to the forest before an adult saw me. I tried to fly, thinking it would be less noticeable and faster than running. However, I couldn't. I couldn't spread my magic. I couldn't expand my magic.

After a moment of hesitation, I started running. I couldn't waste time.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Fortunately, the scenery was moving fast, and my legs felt light. I was clearly running faster than I could in my previous life.

I ran, checking my surroundings. No one was watching. I ran into the forest at full speed.

What had happened? I thought about it at the base of the tree where I slept.

I knew something was wrong. My magic wasn't working.

This was a bad situation. A very bad situation.

My current life depended almost entirely on magic. Without it, I couldn't hunt, wander the village, or even sleep safely.

Without magic, I was just an unknown child. Living in the forest would be difficult, but not impossible.

I needed to make my magic work again as soon as possible. If not, I needed to find a new way to live. I should think of a plausible reason to go to the village.

Leaving the village was also an option. It would be difficult for an unknown child to be accepted in the village.

There was another change besides the loss of magic.

My body felt abnormally light, and my physical abilities had improved dramatically.

This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it happened at the same time as the loss of magic. They were probably related. In fact, this power was probably the cause.

But what should I do?

I focused and saw a thin, light-like substance rising from my body. This was the cause? It was something coming from my body, and I was a bit frustrated. This was why I had to change my life. This was why I had to think about my future.

I noticed something as I watched the light ripple in the air. I had seen it before.

I immediately remembered. I had seen it for years, up close.

I could now use ki.