Chapter 45

It was the 25th of May, in the year 3012 of the Tria calendar.

Today is my tenth birthday.

The mansion has been bustling with activity since this morning, preparing for my birthday.

I am the second son and not the heir, but in families of the knight class and above, the tenth birthday is celebrated grandly.

In farming and merchant families, turning ten means one is expected to work like an adult.

In knight families, serious martial arts training usually begins at ten, and many join the knight order at twelve. Therefore, it is considered a turning point from childhood to adulthood.

Today, I am not wearing the usual cheap linen clothes but a splendid knight's uniform. I can't see myself, so I don't know how it looks, but at least I don't look like a wild child who hunts.

Lidi said, "It suits you quite well," but then she started laughing, so I began to doubt if it really did suit me.

The members of the Zack Quartet praised me, but they also said that the fur vest I received from the hunter Rob, which looked like something a bandit would wear, was also cool, so their opinions weren't very reliable.

Just like on my brother's tenth birthday four years ago, representatives from the village brought various gifts.

There were congratulatory speeches from Gordon, the village representative, and blessings from the priest sent from Bogwood, and the morning was filled with activities.

After lunch, personal acquaintances started to arrive one by one.

The hunters, Rob and his group, brought a magnificent whole boar, Scott, the head of the distillery, brought three barrels each of specially distilled "Scotch" and "Maar" (a distilled liquor made from the residue of wine), and Craig, the carpenter, presented a beautifully polished table.

Bertram, the dwarf blacksmith, held a sword in his hand and said, "This sword is made of special steel from Ars. I'll do the final adjustments, so come to the workshop tomorrow," promising to forge the sword himself.

Furthermore, all the squires gave me various small items that would be useful in the forest, such as a sturdy cloak, a backpack, and a belt that can hold throwing swords.

Dan gave me a small pouch made from a rabbit he had caught, and Mel and Sharon, blushing, handed me baked goods they had made together.

My twin brother and sister, Theophilus and Seraphine, gave me a bouquet of flowers they had picked from the garden.

For dinner, the main dish was grilled boar, and after the meal, we ate the baked goods made by Mel and Sharon. Recently, we started buying sugar, so the baked goods, which resembled a pound cake, turned out quite well.

That night, I received greetings from my family in my grandfather's room.

My grandfather took out a leather pouch from a drawer and said,

"There are twenty platinum coins in here. You can use them as you like."

My grandfather gave me twenty platinum coins, which is equivalent to 20,000C (about 20 million yen).

Looking puzzled, my father began to speak.

"I could have given you weapons, but I thought Bertram would give you a sword. Besides, you plan to go to the magic academy, right? With this amount, you can cover the entrance fee and tuition. Even if you don't go, you can do what you like with this money."

After saying that, my father chuckled and added, "Well, it's originally money you earned."

It seems he had set aside part of the profit from selling the soap-making method.

Then, my mother laughed and said,

"I was really at a loss. In your case, other people would bring the gifts... Hehe, giving money on your tenth birthday might seem odd, but your grandfather and Matt—Father Matthias' nickname—decided it would be better for you."

"Besides, I had Nicholas investigate the magic academy. If I give you this, you can go to the academy without any worries."

It seems my grandfather and the others knew I was investigating the academy and wanted to support me.

"Thank you. I was going to talk about it later, but I'll tell you now. I plan to take the entrance exam in July..."

I told my parents and grandfather what I had told Lidi yesterday.

After listening, my grandfather said,

"...I understand your resolve. We are your family. You can always rely on us. Do you understand?"

I nodded vigorously.

"I understand. But I'll do my best. After all, I am a Lockhart."

After that, I went to Lidi's room.

"My parents and grandfather knew I was going to the magic academy. The birthday gift was the tuition."

Lidi chuckled and asked,

"Typical of Gowith and the others. When are you leaving?"

"I plan to leave in July, around the time the exam is held. My father or one of the squires will probably accompany me, so a fortnight should be more than enough."

"That's just over a month away. I understand. I'll make my decision by then."

As I was about to leave, she called me back, saying, "I haven't given you your present yet."

I took out the ring I wore around my neck and said with a smile, "I received this five years ago. It's enough for me," but Lidi had a serious expression.

"If I die, I'll give you my magic crystal. That's my present to you."

I was speechless and stood there, stunned.

"I will protect you. I'll be your shield. If I die... I want you to have my magic crystal. I want to be with you forever..."

I reacted strongly to her words.

"Don't say such ominous things! In my world, that's called a 'death flag'! ...Please, don't say you'll die being my shield..."

At that moment, I understood her feelings.

So, I made my decision.

"Understood... In return, if I die first, I'll give you my magic crystal."

Lidi's eyes widened, and she whispered, trembling, "Do you understand what you just said?"

"Yes, I think I do. It's a proposal, right? To put our magic crystals in the same grave when we die. To be together even in death."

Tears streamed down Lidi's wide eyes.

"I am an elf. I can't bear your children. It's probably impossible..."

In this world, half-elves and other mixed races don't exist. In rare cases, children can be born between different races, but they will belong to one of the parent's races.

"I don't mind. I am an outsider in this world. I don't know if I can have children even if I marry normally, and I'm not sure if I'll have the time for that."

I approached Lidi and embraced her without saying another word.

That night, I didn't return to my room.

The next morning, I went to Bertram's workshop.

"Good to see you. I made the sword using the method you told me about, the 'katana.'"

I had explained the method of making a katana to Bertram when the distillery project was nearing completion.

It had been about three years since I explained it, but I hadn't paid much attention to it after confirming that a prototype had been made.

"I used charcoal and added the 'core iron' you mentioned, and did the 'forge welding'..."

The sword in his hand was at the stage where the "forging" was completed.

In this world, double-edged "swords" are more common, so he made it with "honsanmai" blades on both sides.

The steel from Ars, used as the material, is a high-quality steel refined by metallic magic in the dwarf-populated kingdom of Kaum. It's not as rare as mithril or other special materials, but it's still very expensive, and the materials for one sword alone would cost several thousand C (several million yen).

Furthermore, forging a sword using the katana method results in fewer impurities due to the folding process, and more steel is used compared to a typical forged sword. This sword alone probably costs around 10,000C.

When I mentioned this,

"This steel is the payment for the Scotch. When I wrote in a letter that I would give a sword to the inventor of Scotch, the artisans of Ars sent it to me. So don't worry about it."

I was impressed by the dwarves, but it still felt a bit awkward. When I hesitated,

"Just make more good alcohol. They'll be happier with that than money."

I couldn't help but chuckle, thinking of the drinking dwarves.

"I'll gratefully accept it. I'll repay you in five years. In five years, I'll have ten-year-old Scotch to give everyone."

"That's fine. I'll let the people of Ars know. Alright, tell me what you want now."

I ordered a large bastard sword.

For me now, it's more like a two-handed sword, but I asked for a large one, hoping for future growth.

"I'll be leaving the village in July. Will it be ready by then?"

"Leaving the village? Where are you going? Joining the knight order?"

"I'm going to the magic academy in Doctus. The exam is in late July, so I need to leave around the beginning of July."

"I see... That's about a month from now. I'll do my best. But try to visit as often as possible."

I bowed and said, "I'm sorry for the trouble," and left his workshop.

Then, I returned to the mansion and decided to talk to Mel and the others.

"...So, I'll be leaving the village in July. I'll be back for the summer break, but I'll be there for five years."

When I finished speaking, Mel and Sharon had tears in their eyes.

Then, like a dam breaking, they started crying, and Mel clung to me, saying, "Master Zack... Don't go..."

Sharon, unable to form words, just held my hand and cried.

Dan was relatively calm and said, "Couldn't you wait until you're a bit older?"

"Indeed, it's fun here, and I don't want to leave either. But I want to master magic. I can't do that here."

I waited for the two girls to stop crying and calm down before speaking again.

"You might have noticed, but I'm not like other children. I have memories from my previous life, or rather, memories from before I was born. There's one more thing. I was asked by a god to protect someone..."

I explained about my reincarnation and being sent by a god to protect someone. I thought it might be difficult for ten and eleven-year-olds to understand, but they seemed to grasp it.

"...So, I need to become strong. That's why I'm going to Doctus. And my mission won't last forever. When everything is over, we can live happily together. We can stay in the village, or we can be adventurers in Periclitur when we're young, or travel the world. So, I hope you all train hard towards that goal."

They nodded, seeming to understand.

Mel, in particular, seemed very determined. She wiped her tears, stood up, and declared,

"I'll become stronger. I'll train with the previous master to stand by Master Zack's side... I'll become a swordsman who can't be beaten by anyone!"

Inspired by her, Dan declared,

"I'll become a great warrior like my father—Guy Jakes, a former adventurer scout!"

Sharon, unsure of what to do, declared in a small but firm voice,

"I want to be of some help to Master Zack... I'll study more!"

I was happy to see their resolve.

I had thought of them as children, but they had grown to the point where they could think for themselves.

"Thank you. We'll be together again. Just wait for five years. I'll become strong enough to match you all..."

After talking with them about the future, I went to the mansion's garden with a wooden sword to be alone.

I swung the wooden sword, thinking about the level I should aim for.

(I need to aim for at least double my current magic level, level 50. I'm using magic to my limit every day, so my level is definitely increasing. But at this rate, reaching level 50 will be tough. I don't fully understand the growth system, but if I think of it like an RPG, combat experience points lead to level-ups. So, if I go monster hunting while studying at the magic academy, I should level up faster...)

I also thought about other skills.

(Without my grandfather, I'll have to train on my own for swordsmanship. I don't know how effective it will be, but I'll have to continue training in the morning and evening as usual. If I try to do both magic and swordsmanship, I might end up doing neither well. I should specialize in magic. And what about magi-martial arts? It depends on the time and training location... As for stealth and awareness, it will be difficult to train in Doctus. I'll have to actively enter the forest or mountains. How dangerous is that area...)

As I was swinging my sword, my grandfather came over.

"You seem to be in doubt. What are you thinking about?"

I stopped swinging my sword and said,

"I'm thinking about what I should aim for. How to train in swordsmanship, magic, and scout skills."

"You lack experience. You'll get stronger quickly with more practice. But it's dangerous to go alone. Even with your talent, you shouldn't enter the forest or mountains alone. Especially the Saevum Mountains north of Doctus are dangerous..."

It seems my grandfather was worried that I might take unnecessary risks based on his own experience.

However, I was prepared to take some risks to hunt monsters. I don't have any companions for now. I don't know how Lidi will decide, but I should plan to go alone.

"I'll do my best, knowing the risks. I'm not in a hurry, but I don't want to regret not doing it now."

My grandfather murmured, "I see," and left the area.

That night, Lidi came to my room.

"I just went to Guy's house. We talked about Sharon..."

I nodded silently, urging her to continue.

"Sharon wants to go with you. Guy said it was impossible due to the money. Even when I offered to pay, he refused..."

The entrance fee of 10,000C and the annual fee of 3,000C were clearly the issue. Guy, who was a guest of my grandfather, was resistant to borrowing money from Lidi and refused to agree.

"I came to you for advice. Sharon is so determined that she's even considering running away. If this continues, it will strain her relationship with Guy."

Sharon had calmed down after our talk at noon, but Lidi's words made her heart waver again.

"Here's what I suggest. First, set the condition that she must place in the top five in the entrance exam to have the entrance fee waived. If she meets that condition, Lidi or I will lend her the money. If she places in the top five, it shows her talent, and it will be a reason to enter the academy. Since we're lending the money to Sharon personally, Guy won't have a reason to object."

Lidi said, "That's a good idea. I'll talk to Sharon," and was about to leave.

I stopped her,

"If Sharon fails the exam, Lidi will stay in the village. And don't pressure her. Consider Guy's pride..."

She interrupted me,

"I understand. That child will work hard without being pressured if she wants to be with you. I think Guy is just trying to discourage her for her own good. It'll be fine."

Then, she started to leave but turned back as if remembering something.

"More importantly, think about Mel. She'll be disappointed if Sharon can go and she can't."

"Right. I'll think about it."

Lidi then went back to Guy's house.

About thirty minutes later, she