Chapter 13

On the evening of June 20th, I finished my evening practice and casually checked my status.

To check the status, you have to think of "information," and it will automatically appear in your head. However, it's troublesome because you have to think of the specific item you want to check to see the details.

Since I came out to my birthday party, I've been busy with toilet improvements and other reform plans, so I haven't been checking my status much lately.

(It's been a while since I last checked my status.)

When I checked my status, most of the stats hadn't changed, but there was one decisive difference.

The title "Swordsman" was added.

"Zacharias Rockhart, age 4, Swordsman Level 1"

I was so surprised that I almost let out a cry.

When I checked my skills,

"Skills: Swordsmanship 1, Physical Training 5, Negotiation 30, Calculation 70"

(So, I became a Swordsman because my Swordsmanship skill reached 1... It sounds good.)

The other skills, except for Swordsmanship, had already increased by the time I turned four. Physical Training had gradually improved through exercises I came up with, and Negotiation had gradually increased as I learned more words. However, Calculation had skyrocketed as soon as I learned numbers.

At the time, I was surprised by this, but I couldn't ask anyone about it, so I just left it as it was.

("Physical Training" must have improved through consistent training. "Negotiation" probably increased as my vocabulary grew. But why 30? And 70 for "Calculation" is also surprising. Grandpa's Swordsmanship was 70, so it's a comparable skill level.)

I have a hypothesis about Negotiation and Calculation.

Perhaps these skills are the quantified abilities of the original Kawsaki Yataro.

For Calculation, I might have forgotten some geometry, but I still remember calculus, so I'm probably at the top level in this world.

For Negotiation, the skills I developed over twenty years of working life were quantified as I learned more words. I'm not sure if 30 is high or low, but since a typical Swordsman's level is around 30, it means I've reached a level where I can use it professionally.

I tried to think of any other skills that might have increased, but I couldn't remember what skills I had, so I wasn't sure if there were any that hadn't increased yet.

I concluded that Negotiation and Calculation were quantified abilities, but Swordsmanship was the result of hard work. Getting the title "Swordsman" felt like getting a qualification, which made me incredibly happy.

(Swordsman... It feels like a national qualification. A true "Shi" qualification... Wait, if I'm a Swordsman, maybe Mel is too. I'll ask her tomorrow.)

I went to report to my grandfather, my master, that I had become a Swordsman.

When I entered his room, he was wiping the sweat from his forehead before dinner. He looked a bit puzzled when I came in with a big smile.

"What's the matter? Why are you grinning like that?"

I must have been grinning a lot. Despite that, I couldn't hide my excitement.

"I've become a Swordsman. I just checked, and my Swordsmanship skill is..."

"What!"

He interrupted me, looking surprised.

I had come to report because I thought he would be happy, but his reaction was completely different from what I expected.

(Is it that surprising? I practiced every day, so it's not strange that I got results.)

"Is something wrong? I think it's the result of my training..."

"Did you tell anyone about this? No, you shouldn't have an Orb... How did you..."

He seemed confused, and I didn't understand what he was saying.

"I came here first to report to you. As you know, I'm four years old, so I don't have an Orb. But why is it so strange?"

An Orb is a special magical device that can store personal information, similar to a high-tech ID card. The principle is hard to understand, but it's said that everyone, including humans, has a magical crystal stone in their body that stores personal information such as true name, race, gender, and age. The Orb is a magical device that can read and transfer this information.

Usually, people make their Orbs around the age of ten at a town hall or village office. They can also be made at guilds like the Adventurer's Guild or the Mercenary Guild.

They are not made before ten because of the high child mortality rate and the likelihood of children losing them.

In Rasmoor Village, most people make their Orbs on their tenth birthday.

In knight families like ours, Orbs are often made around the age of five when martial arts training begins, but I hadn't made one yet. My brother Rod said he made his at five, so I thought I would get one next year.

"Is it strange not to have an Orb?"

"You don't know... I see..."

He still looked puzzled and slowly started to explain.

"Skills can only be confirmed when you have an Orb. If you make your Orb at the Mercenary Guild, it will show mainly combat-related skills, and if you make it at the Mage Guild, it will show magic-related levels. I don't know the principle, but I've heard they are designed to be convenient for each profession..."

(In other words, it's abnormal that I can see my skills without an Orb...)

"The Orb 'transfer machine' in the mansion is similar to the one at the Adventurer's Guild. It can read martial arts and outdoor skills. But you don't have an Orb yet, and I've never heard of such a case..."

He continued with a serious expression.

"The magical crystal stone is said to be inscribed by the gods with all the information about a person. In fact, if someone commits a crime, it is recorded on their magical crystal stone, and the Orb can read this information. In the temple, many believe that the magical crystal stone and the Orb are the 'bonds' that connect humans to the gods. You read this information without the bond of the Orb, which means..."

I continued his words,

"In other words, I can confirm my skills without the bond of the Orb, so I might be considered a heretic?"

"Yes. You were born here by the will of the gods, but those who don't know this might consider you a being that doesn't need our gods, like a demon or an evil deity."

Strictly speaking, there are no gods called "evil deities" in this world. The Light Temple, which calls itself the Light Church, refers to the God of Darkness as an evil deity, but the God of Darkness is one of the twelve deities. There are demons and dark races with unique values among the followers of the God of Darkness, but they also have magical crystal stones.

The only deity not worshiped and not counted among the twelve deities is the God of Void, but the doctrine that considers this deity an evil deity is not common. In fact, more people don't even know about Vanitas.

"What do you think I should do?" I asked for his opinion.

"First, we need to make an Orb. If the information appears on the Orb, that's good. If it doesn't... we'll have to think about it then."

I couldn't bear to see his troubled face, so I nodded silently and looked down.

"Anyway, I'll tell Matt—Zack's father—to make the Orbs tomorrow. This matter should be kept between you and me. We'll tell Matt and Tanya—Zack's mother—depending on the results tomorrow, but there's no need to worry them unnecessarily."

I nodded and also asked about the status, but

"Status? Numbers that represent strength, stamina, and wisdom? I've never heard of such a thing. We might need to check in Doctus—the academic city—but I've never heard of it."

It seems that status is not common in this world.

(I can't see the status either. But if my information can't be transferred to the Orb, the situation will be very difficult.)

The Orb is a biometric ID card. Without it, you can't enter large cities or stay at inns, which means I would have to live in this village for the rest of my life.

The excitement I felt when I came in had completely faded, and I left my grandfather's room with a heavy heart.

The dinner atmosphere was also gloomy, and my father seemed to want to ask something but saw the rejection in my grandfather's face and said nothing.

The next day, it was decided that I, Mel, Dan, and Sharon would make our Orbs.

Dan and Mel were five years old and had already started training, so there was no problem. However, everyone was surprised that we were making an Orb for Sharon, who was only four and not participating in training.

Sharon was like a bonus. My grandfather had said he would give Orbs to the three of us who had started training, so I asked him to make one for Sharon to avoid leaving her out.

My grandfather, who was usually strict, must have been worried about me, so he agreed without any objections.

My father informed Mel's father Hector and Dan and Sharon's father Guy about making the Orbs.

They were surprised by the sudden decision but had no reason to object, so the Orbs were made.

We were then made to swear an oath: "I swear to obey the lord's command and not break the law."

This is a system where a record is left on the magical crystal stone if you commit a major crime, but no one knows how this record is made.

(Perhaps negative emotions, like the feeling of committing a crime, are recorded on the magical crystal stone?)

After the oath, we went to a room in the back of the mansion.

Inside the room was a magical device to read the magical crystal stone—a wooden box about three meters high, 1.5 meters wide, and one meter deep. We were told that the information would be read inside the box.

We went in one by one in age order: Mel, Dan, Sharon, and finally me.

Mel went in a bit hesitantly.

There was no sound, and after about thirty seconds, she came out.

Dan asked, "How was it?" but was hurried by my father to go in next.

I asked Mel in a whisper, "How was it?"

"The light sparkled... um... light lines like this..."

It seemed like light came out, but her words and gestures were hard to understand.

At least, it didn't hurt or itch, which made Sharon, who was scared, feel a bit more relaxed.

Sharon went in after Dan, and finally, it was my turn.

(I can't do anything, but I bet criminals waiting for judgment feel like this...)

I thought this and, reassuring myself that if the gods of this world brought me here, everything would be fine, I went into the box.

The lid was slowly closed from the outside, and the box became pitch black for a moment.

After waiting for about five seconds, colorful laser-like light suddenly appeared, scanning my entire body. The light stopped after about thirty seconds.

The lid was opened, and I was told it was over.

(It was quick, but what were the results?)

My father said it would take about thirty minutes to make the Orbs, so we waited.

Compared to the excited three, I was anxious about the results and couldn't join in the small talk.

After a long thirty minutes, my father came back with four pendants with glowing black stones about one centimeter in diameter.

"These are your Orbs. Don't lose them, even when you sleep. Mel, here you go."

He handed them out one by one, checking each one.

Finally, it was my turn.

"This is Zack's. Don't lose it."

After everyone received their Orbs, my father explained how to use them.

"Now, how to use the Orb. In our village, there are no gates, so it's not necessary, but in large cities, you need to show this to enter. Now, how to check the Orb. Hold it in your hand and think 'display.' The information should appear in your head. Try it."

At my father's signal, the four of us held our Orbs and closed our eyes.

I braced myself and thought "display."

Name: Zacharias Rockhart, Age: 4, Gender: Male, Race: Human

Birthplace: Rasmoor Village, Rockhart Territory, Northeastern Border Region, Kaerum Empire

Level: Swordsman 1

Skills: Swordsmanship 1, Physical Training 5

I couldn't help but make a fist and a victory pose when the information appeared.

(The information appears in my head. It's like text, but also like a voice. Even someone who can't read can understand it. I'm glad. Now I can live a normal life...)

My victory pose made my father and the others look at me curiously.

My father asked, "What happened?" and I was at a loss for words, but

"I became a Swordsman. My Swordsmanship..."

He seemed to understand and lightly patted my head.

"I see, that's good. Your father might have had this in mind when he had the Orbs made early."

I asked Mel, "How was it?" to cover up my victory pose, but she shook her head, not understanding.

Seeing this, my father said,

"Next, how to check other people's Orbs. The method is the same. Hold the other person's Orb and think 'display.' Mel and Zack, Dan and Sharon, try it."

When I checked Mel's Orb,

Name: Melissa Marlon, Age: 5, Gender: Female, Race: Human

Birthplace: Rasmoor Village, Rockhart Territory, Northeastern Border Region, Kaerum Empire

Level: —

The level was "—" and no skills were displayed.

I finally calmed down and asked in my usual childish voice, "Father, can't I see some things?"

"You can't see other people's skills. Only people like me, the lord, can see them. It's different in guilds, but I'll explain when you're older."

It seemed I was the only one who became a Swordsman.

(I thought Mel had more talent. Maybe the morning and evening practice helped. Still, Negotiation and Calculation don't show up. Would they show up on a Merchant Guild Orb?)

I immediately went to my grandfather and reported that I had become a Swordsman.

I whispered, "It's all right. I'm sorry for worrying you," and bowed my head.

After that, perhaps because she learned I had become a Swordsman, Mel started practicing with more determination.

Dan, inspired by her, also finished his training even when he was tired.

Mel became a Swordsman ten days later on June 30th, and Dan followed twenty-one days later on July 21st.

My grandfather and the retainers were amazed by their rapid progress.