Chapter 3

It was just before my fifth birthday when an old man who looked like a priest came from the village church.

My father, mother, and I had a conversation with him, and he left.

I wondered what it was about, but I was soon called in.

"Alice, all the children who turn five this year have to undergo an aptitude test at the church."

"Your father has hunting skills, and I have sewing skills."

"Hmm."

"Skills."

"It sounds like one of those isekai novels I read in my previous life."

"So, this world has such things."

"By the way, your mother is good at sewing. She does embroidery and alterations for people in the village."

"Your father can use fire magic, and I can use earth magic, though just a little."

"Magic."

"That's right. Everyone has a bit of magic power and can use the magic they have an aptitude for."

"Besides fire and earth, there are water and wind."

Magic... My mind and heart couldn't keep up with the sudden influx of unrealistic information.

There are four types of magic.

There are no attributes like light or darkness, which are often found in novels; only these four attributes exist.

"Show me some magic."

"It's dangerous, so just a little."

Father lit a small flame on his fingertip.

It was about the size of a lighter flame from my previous life.

Real magic.

"Wow. Can you attack with it?"

"Haha. No way. At most, I can light a campfire."

"What about Mom?"

"I can give nutrients to the soil and help crops grow better."

"That's amazing too."

"Father's family has a lot of fire magic. Alice, you'll probably have fire or earth."

"But we don't know yet. Sometimes children inherit aptitudes from ancestors many generations back."

I see. Practical life magic, huh.

I guess I never saw it because there was no need to use it inside the house.

When I asked more questions, I learned that anyone can use the four attribute magics with practice, but each person has an aptitude.

You can use magic without an aptitude, but it's almost useless compared to the magic you have an aptitude for.

Mother demonstrated water magic, which she has no aptitude for, and only a single drop of water dripped from her fingertip. That was all she could do.

Father, being good at fire, is completely useless at water magic.

Skills, apparently, become easier to develop when you practice something you're already good at.

At five years old, most children don't have skills yet, but if they help with farm work from a young age, they might have agricultural skills even at five.

Since I reincarnated into this world, I've only helped my mother and taken care of my younger brother.

Do housework or childcare skills exist?

It would be nice if I had cooking skills.

If I had known, I would have helped more with cooking.

So, the following week, the whole family visited the church.

A few children and their families had gathered at the small, old church at the edge of the village.

The adults were relaxed, chatting casually, but the children all looked nervous.

I understand. Depending on the skills, their future could be determined.

When everyone was gathered, the old man who had come to our house the other day appeared with a large crystal ball.

I thought, "Cliché."

Of course, magic and crystal balls go together.

The old man was wearing a more elaborate robe, like a priest.

He explained that the color of the crystal would indicate the aptitude, and we would be called one by one.

The first to be called was the mayor's son, David.

He was dressed in more expensive clothes compared to the other children.

"David's aptitude is wind. He has the skill of a swordsman."

Everyone gasped, and the mayor clapped happily.

He told his son to protect the village when he grows up.

I don't know what wind magic can do, but it seems useful for combat, as it can make you run fast.

One by one, we were called, and finally, it was my turn.

Tentatively, I touched the crystal ball, and it glowed blue for a moment, then turned yellow, and finally a greenish-yellow color.

The old priest stroked his beard and widened his eyes.

"This is interesting. It might be a dual attribute. I thought it was water for a moment, but it also has earth. It will likely settle on one as you practice."

"Thank you. Rosetta has earth, so it might be earth."

Rosetta is my mother. My father's name is Albert.

A dual attribute is rare, so I felt a bit embarrassed with all the attention.

But the possibility of using water magic, which I had given up on, was a pleasant surprise.

Since attributes are often inherited, I had assumed it would be fire or earth.

As we were about to leave with Father, the old priest called out urgently.

"Wait! You have a skill too. A storage skill!"

Storage... Yes! Storage!

I remembered the voice of the god who spoke to me when I reincarnated.

He said he would give me the best storage, and this must be what he meant.

He kept his promise.

"Is it like the one that merchants and armies hire for high pay...?"

Father looked a bit confused.

Why?

Isn't the storage skill the one that lets you store anything in an extra-dimensional space?

In novels, it's often called a magic bag.

I'm so happy. With this, I can live in any small one-room apartment.

"That's right. Whether it's high-paying or not depends on the size of the storage, but it's a very rare skill. Congratulations."

The old priest smiled and patted my head.

However, my parents still looked confused, whispering to each other, "Who does she take after?"

The villagers also looked surprised. Is it really that rare a skill?

According to my light novel knowledge, it's a skill that adventurers often have.

Later, the old priest gave me a more detailed explanation.

The storage skill's capacity is determined by the amount of magic power. For commoners with low magic power, it can't store much.

As you grow, your magic power increases gradually, so if you consciously use your magic power, your storage capacity will also grow.

No one in the village has had the storage skill before, so the priest only knew this much.

Magic power.

There seems to be no tool to measure magic power in this world.

The amount of magic power is self-reported.

For example, in the magic guild's entrance exam, you might say, "I can cast medium fire magic ten times in a row."

For storage magic, if you can secure space equivalent to a cart, you can get hired for work.

But when I reincarnated, I asked for "the best storage."

That means I need the most magic power to achieve it, right?

Did the god keep his promise...

From that day on, I immersed myself in magic practice.

Aim for the best storage.