Chapter 6

Before I know it, I had climbed to 17th place in the daily rankings.

I am grateful.

Jed=Clifford, I have turned five years old.

I can finally walk and even run, and I can speak clearly now.

This has given me a freedom that is incomparable to when I was an infant.

Thanks to this, every day is filled with new encounters and is genuinely enjoyable. I am grateful to the Earth god who reincarnated me and the beautiful goddess Meriana.

Now, my wish to go to the village has been granted, and I am heading there with my older sister, Julia.

The Clifford family serves the Kingdom of Adret as nobles.

The kingdom is still relatively young, with only a few hundred years of history, so there is still a vast amount of undeveloped land.

Developing this land is the job of capable nobles.

My father is a noble who excels in both martial and intellectual pursuits, and he was entrusted with this land, Rascal.

Rascal has several towns, villages, and settlements, but my father manages them by appointing local officials in each place.

When I think of local officials, I often imagine corrupt ones from dramas, but that's not the case. The few I've met were all gentlemen and good people.

Among these places, my father chose to build our mansion in Asma Village.

There were reasons why he didn't choose a more convenient town.

First, the reason my father inherited Rascal was due to the previous lord's misdeeds.

He raised taxes, embezzled funds, and betrayed the kingdom, committing one atrocity after another.

Especially in Asma Village, the governance was particularly poor, so my father took personal command and began developing it.

Thanks to his efforts, Asma Village has gradually regained its strength and is now thriving.

When I was an infant, my father was rarely home because he was extremely busy.

I understand that.

Moreover, it was better for my mother to live in a quiet countryside where she could take her time, especially since she was going to have more children.

My mother is a noble, but from a low-ranking baron's family, so she grew up in the countryside.

Because of this, she was very supportive of living in Asma Village.

There were other villages, but the kingdom wanted my capable father to work hard, so they assigned him to Asma Village, which was the most challenging.

Recently, the village has become very lively, and there are more delicious dishes to enjoy.

I wonder what kind of village it is.

I look forward to Asma Village as I walk down the path, holding Julia's hand.

Our mansion is on a hill that overlooks the village, so the way down is easy, but the way back is a bit of a climb.

However, the path is beautifully maintained, making it easy for a five-year-old like me to walk.

The path itself is made of dirt, but it is lined with grass on both sides, making it very beautiful.

It's like a green carpet, soft and fluffy.

I often lie down here.

"Today's weather is nice, isn't it?"

Julia squints her eyes, looking comfortable.

The wind blows, and her long, gradient-red hair, like my mother's, flutters gently.

Julia is twelve years old this year. She has become the beautiful woman I predicted.

She has fair skin and an excellent figure. Her supple body moves gracefully, and her hair, which has grown to her waist, has a slight curl.

The slightly wavy hair gives Julia a softer impression.

"We're almost at the village."

"Okay."

Incidentally, although Julia seems very calm, her essence hasn't changed.

If anything, she has become even more formidable.

Don't be fooled by her soft, smiling face.

We descend the hill surrounded by grass, and the men are busily carrying logs.

They must have cut them to build new houses.

They have cloths wrapped around their heads, and their linen clothes are tied around their waists.

In other words, they are bare-chested.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Lady Julia. We're in such a state."

A man with black hair, carrying a log on his shoulder, bows to Julia.

Seeing this, the other men also try to bow while carrying their logs, but Julia stops them with a hand.

"You don't need to bow. Thank you always."

"N-no! It's nothing! It's nothing at all!"

Ah, the man's face is turning red. Not just him, but the other men and young people are all captivated.

"Then, we'll head to the village. Please work hard."

Julia's smile has the men melting.

Where did their manly demeanor from a moment ago go?

"Y-yes! Alright, let's finish everything by noon!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

The black-haired man encourages the others. The men tie the logs and carry them on their shoulders.

"Hey, you're not putting enough effort into it!"

"Shut up! You're the one who's wobbling! You're just trying to show off in front of Lady Julia!"

"Huh? N-no, that's not it! I can carry this much easily."

"Liar! You usually carry only three!"

The men's energetic voices echo as we walk down the path.

Behind us, the men who overexerted themselves gradually fall behind.

"Oh? The men from earlier are gone. They were so helpful."

Julia turns back and says in a teasing voice.

The black-haired man and the man he was arguing with—wait, they have the same face?—rush over, carrying logs.

"Whoa!"

"We are the lady's knights."

"Oh, interesting lances."

"Y-yes."

Julia's smile makes the two men clutch their chests and fall over.

By "lances," she probably means the logs. If so, her comment is not out of amusement but out of finding it ridiculous.

This is not a pure smile but a dark, evil one.

The two men, unaware of this, look happy.

They must be twins, given their faces and identical lines.

Hmm, they look very similar. I can't tell them apart.

At least one of them should change their hairstyle.

"Hehehe."

Julia walks happily, swinging her arms.

Her innocent smile is like that of a child who has found a new toy.

Behind her, the twins stand up and walk behind her, bumping into each other.

The twins are carrying six logs. They look very strained.

Sweat pours from their bodies, and they are out of breath.

Still, they push forward, swaying, as if drawn by Julia's gently swaying hair.

"Just by her voice, the work efficiency improves. It's cost-effective, isn't it?"

Julia says with a smile.

Julia, you're completely black. You're scary.

"Hey, Jed-kun."

"I don't really understand, but it's fun."

I manage a smile and return it to Julia.

We pass through the gate made of logs and enter the village.

The village is surrounded by fences and gates made of logs to protect against monsters and bandits.

The area has become safer, but this is just a precaution. It's said that monsters rarely attack the village.

The main street is bustling with villagers. This is the most vibrant village, and it's not uncommon for people from other villages and settlements to come here looking for work.

Women target the hardworking men, selling them food.

On the side, a man who looks like a craftsman is tanning leather, and a merchant is loudly calling out to customers.

"From here to the center, it's crowded. Should we go later?"

"Sure, that's fine."

Julia leads me to the east.

"Jed, be careful."

Julia pulls me back a bit.

Just as we were about to start walking, a horse carrying a load passes by.

Even in such a crowded area, the horse isn't running, but for a five-year-old like me, even a slight bump could be a serious injury.

"Are you hurt, Lady Julia, Lord Jed!?"

The man leading the horse asks anxiously.

"No, I'm fine, and so is Jed. I'm sorry, it was our fault."

"N-no, it's my fault! I'm very sorry!"

The man bows repeatedly, and Julia stops him.

"Watch where you're going, kid."

"......Huh?"

I think I just heard a voice.

"Is something wrong? Are you hurt?"

"N-no, I'm fine. I'm not hurt."

The man sighs in relief.

"I wouldn't crush a brat like you. But if I don't like someone, I might kick them."

"Did you say something? About crushing or kicking?"

"Huh? No, I didn't say anything."

Wait, I definitely heard a rough man's voice.

"Hey? Did you just say, 'Do you understand my words?'"

"See! You said it again!"

My plea falls on deaf ears as the man and Julia look puzzled.

"Jed, the man didn't say anything, did he?"

"I guess... not?"

"Wow! This brat understands my words."

"See! Again!"

The two look at each other.

Julia smiles wryly.

"I'm sorry. My brother is saying strange things."

"No, it's fine. I have work to do. Come on, Tonkichi."

The man pulls the horse's reins and starts walking.

The horse, looking reluctant, takes a few steps and turns to face me.

"I'm Kankichi! Tonkichi is the one with the short ears. When will you remember that? Hey, brat! Come to my hut later!"

The horse definitely just spoke to me!

Did only I hear it? Horses talking is unbelievable. Can horses in this world speak human language?

The horse is led away by the man.

"Hey, Julia, can horses talk?"

"Horses? They can't talk. Neither can other animals."

Thanks to my five-year-old self, Julia answers kindly.

If I had said this at my previous age, I would have been in big trouble.

"Highly intelligent monsters can speak a little, though."

"Like what kind of monsters?"

"Like a Goblin King, an evolved Goblin, maybe."

Intelligent monsters. I've heard a lot about monsters from my parents.

They have their own ecosystems and attack people.

While some monsters are gentle, others are aggressive, but generally, monsters are enemies of humans.

This is what we are taught generation after generation.

"Monsters, huh."

While I fear monsters that attack people, I am also intrigued by the unknown.