Chapter 5

I am Nicolau Levent. I am 9 years old. Everyone calls me Niko.

I have short blue hair like my mother and dark blue eyes like my father. I have inherited both of their colors.

However, I am often told that my personality is similar to my older sister's. I am not as reckless as she is.

Indeed, I am not as calm as my older brother.

"Before you act, Niko, it's good to think a little,"

my brother said. I understand, but my body tends to move first.

"You're just at that age where you can't help it. But it's nice to have you around to liven things up,"

Is that a compliment?

My sister and brother tried to become adventurers, and so did I, but I was told I couldn't.

You can't register as an adventurer until you're 10. It's frustrating. I want to be useful too.

So I do what I can. Every day, I start by watering the fields and herbs around the house. Then I go to help with the nearby fields. I may not look it, but I'm good at growing plants.

Sometimes, I go outside the defensive wall to gather herbs. As long as I don't go near the forest, there are no monsters, so it's safe.

My brother and Roro use these herbs to make potions or sell them to the town's apothecary.

"Niko, you're so careless, yet you're good at growing plants. The herbs are impressive. I wonder why? It's a mystery,"

my brother says. I'm not careless. I think about it. I want them to grow big.

Every day, I go with Yuria, Marie's granddaughter. We end up arguing, but Yuria is my best friend. She's older than me.

In a year, I will become an adventurer like my sister and brother and protect everyone. That's my ambition.

◇◇◇

And I am the youngest of the three boys, Roroald Levent, and I am only 3 years old. I have a soft, chubby body.

I have golden hair like my father and lavender eyes like my mother. Inside, I am a former adult, so I am a well-behaved youngest child.

I study and make potions with my brother Leo, and I bake cookies and do embroidery with Marie. I spend my days leisurely.

The other day, Leo taught me magic, and I found out I can do enchantment magic.

"Can you feel something warm inside you, Roro? It's good to practice moving it slowly."

"Po-ca-po-ca-gu-ru-gu-ru?"

"Yes, that's it."

That's all he taught me. But why? I can do enchantments. Perhaps the crying goddess was being considerate?

That doesn't mean I can use super powerful attack magic.

I'm only 3, so I can't do much.

Let me introduce the Marie family, who live with us.

Marie and her family used to work for us. She is a lively and energetic person.

Her husband passed away when her son was young. Our grandparents helped her at that time.

Because of that connection, her son and daughter-in-law served us.

Marie's son and daughter-in-law passed away with our parents, and she took in their two granddaughters and us four brothers and moved to this town.

Despite losing her husband and only son, she is a strong person. She might have thought about raising her grandchildren in place of her deceased son and daughter-in-law.

This is the town where Marie grew up. She bought this house with the money from selling the items she had stored in Pica, which she brought from our old house. She also secured enough money for living expenses. It was good to find a place to live safely.

Marie is the nanny who raised us four brothers. She always ties her light pink hair in a chignon and has brown eyes. She is a strong and lively woman.

She is almost 60 but still takes care of everyone energetically. She is always cheerful, saying "Oh, oh."

Her eldest granddaughter, Elsa, is 18 and a reliable person. She works at a nearby restaurant every day to help with the household expenses.

She has straight, light coral hair and brown eyes. She loves sweets. Although she is a year older than me, she grew up with my older sister, Rea, like a foster sister.

The second granddaughter, Yuria, is 14. She has wavy red hair tied in a braid and brown eyes.

Every day, she goes herb gathering and helps with the nearby fields with my older brother, Niko.

It's unclear whether she and Niko get along well or not. They always argue, but they go out together every day. It's a mystery. She grew up with my older brother, Leo.

I am the youngest and still 3 years old, so I stay home with Marie. I also help her.

"Shall we bake some cookies for a snack, Roro?"

"Sure."

Marie probably wants to eat them. Marie, Elsa, and Yuria all love sweets.

"Cookies made by the young master are delicious!"

That's not true. My small hands don't help much. Marie does most of the work.

Still, I mix too. My hands are small and weak, so I can only mimic.

If there is any difference in taste, it's because Marie is careless. I measure carefully. Marie is always casual. I think that's the reason.

"Let's bake a lot and take them to the church."

"I haven't been to the church, Marie."

"Oh, that's right?"

"Yes."

"The church also has an orphanage. They will be happy if you bring them cookies."

"Okay."

An orphanage. If it weren't for Marie, we might have ended up in an orphanage too.

That's what I thought.

Thank you for reading!

Even though it's still the beginning, I'm happy that so many people are reading. Thank you!