Chapter 8

Elise was very pleased that we had made a new friend.

However, it was somewhat painful to have a few secrets.

But as a result of the family meeting, it was decided that the magic talk should be kept secret from everyone except the teacher, so it was difficult to talk to Fluer about it.

The challenge was how to conduct the training, but it was resolved more easily than expected.

Fluer's mother, Fia, worked at a general store on the outskirts of town, and it seemed that Fluer was taken care of there until the end of her work.

The parents had a discussion, and it was agreed that after school, we would take turns looking after Fluer at our house and the general store.

We would also have meals there.

It seemed that Elise and Fia got along well.

By the time we heard this story, they had already become good friends.

It was the birth of a mom-friend network.

Although I felt that the burden on Fia would increase with the additional people, she seemed happy when we talked to her.

She seemed to like children, and perhaps it wasn't all bad to have more free time.

I wanted to avoid causing too much trouble.

Basically, there were adult eyes around, but recently we had been allowed to play freely as long as we didn't go too far.

We should be able to find time for training.

Fluer trained diligently.

She seemed to have a talent, as she was able to perform the Odo cycle on her own after a few days.

After that, we made some rules, such as keeping certain things secret and only practicing the cycle in the presence of all of us, and I taught her how to practice on her own.

I imagine that for a six-year-old, it was a lot of uninteresting talk about what was not allowed, but Fluer took it seriously.

We didn't just practice magic.

We were friends, after all.

Playing together was our main business.

Fia's general store had many interesting things like spices and dyes that we had never seen before, and she even lent us some used books.

We also brought books from home and made something like cards from thin scraps of wood.

Many of the games I knew couldn't be played because the shapes didn't match, but we still played until the sun went down.

Fluer was strong at card games and seemed to have a natural talent.

Incidentally, the order of strength among us was Fluer, Kyle, me, and then Louise.

Considering my memories from my previous life, I had no standing...

Seeing how engrossed we were, the elderly woman who owned the general store also showed interest.

By the way, I remembered that the adults at home were playing board games, so I decided to bring it up at dinner.

The fireplace had just been lit, so it seemed like a good time.

"Do you want to make a new toy?"

"It's for a game using wooden boards. This is what we actually made."

It's a bit rough, as it was made by a child, but I made it seriously.

I think you can understand what it is.

"Using numbers and patterns. It seems like you can make various rules."

The conversation went smoothly.

We tried playing with a few different rules.

The results were that Cruise and Elise were outstandingly strong.

It wasn't even a contest with Irma and the others.

Our parents seemed to be good at games.

"This is quite interesting."

"I also think it can be used for studying by coming up with different designs."

I proposed some ideas, such as matching words and pictures and number matching, which I thought would be suitable for the current school system, where the blackboard has its limitations, and students teaching each other would be effective.

Making it a game would also help maintain motivation.

There was also a hidden motive to pique Cruise's interest.

"Alright, we've been thinking about increasing the number of wax tablets. I'll discuss this with the responsible person as a new proposal."

Elise's interest was the deciding factor, and Cruise made the decision.

Being soft on his wife and children is this man's weakness.

I've always thought that Elise's mother likes these kinds of games.

She often beats Irma and Zeb at board games.

I've been taught the rules and played games since I was younger, so I can hold my own.

Currently, I'm the only one who can match Elise's mother, except for Cruise, so we play almost daily during the winter.

Later, it was discovered that Fluer was exceptionally strong at this board game, and she became very well-liked by Elise's mother.

At first, we taught her how to move the pieces, but after a few days, she became unbeatable except by me.

Unlike Kyle, who could still provide a decent challenge, Louise couldn't win at all, so we started playing team battles: Fluer and Kyle against me and Louise.

The growth of children at this age is rapid.

I can feel it living with them.

Fluer quickly excelled in magic, games, and studies.

Louise's sword training progressed from basic swings to more advanced techniques.

From the outside, it looked like a rudimentary form of swordsmanship.

Kyle, too, was catching up to me in magic and studies, overcoming the gap from his previous life.

I can't be the only one standing still.

I'm also working hard.

This winter, I broke through a barrier in magic.

I succeeded in performing magic without touching the ground.

...That's it? You might think.

But this is quite important because, in order to use magic, you usually need to touch the ground unless you use a magic wand.

Having to touch the ground every time significantly reduces practicality.

This had been a long-standing issue for me.

Actually, it's easy to do without touching the ground.

You just need to be barefoot.

But if you have to take off your shoes, the problem remains, so a more advanced solution was needed.

The issue is that shoes get in the way.

Shoes prevent you from feeling the ground.

However, the gap between your feet and the ground is very small.

After much trial and error, I developed a technique to bridge that gap.

In short, I decided to saturate my shoes with Odo to transmit magic power to the ground.

I know that Odo exists in the air and that Mana, a thin form of magic, can pass through matter.

So, I decided to pass Odo through my shoes.

It's not as easy as it sounds, but once you can do it, the applications are wide-ranging.

You can draw magic power from the ground even inside buildings by spreading it through the floor, or you can use it for detection inside buildings by permeating walls with Odo.

It could also be used for nefarious purposes, so my rationality was tested.

For now, I'll keep it sealed except in emergencies.

A fulfilling winter of learning, making friends, and playing has passed.

The season is now spring.

School is only held during the agricultural off-season, so from now on, it will be a long break.

It seems that the teachers, except for the principal, have other jobs and will focus on them during this period.

I'm grateful for the thorough teaching we received as a side job.

Since the curriculum repeats every year, our class, 'Sail,' is essentially graduating.

Although it feels rushed, I think we learned what we needed to.

As a token of gratitude to Mr. Amicus, we decided to send him a prototype of the card game we proposed.

Although it might be a bit awkward to incorporate it into the curriculum soon, I'm glad he was pleased.

He said he would play it with his family.

Incidentally, school is not mandatory, so children from families with free time attend based on their family's circumstances and their own free will.

Just because you attended last year doesn't mean you have to attend this year, and it's normal to attend when you have something to learn.

Although it was a short period, I want to do something to repay the favor when I grow up.

Such reflections were brief, as a new season brought new events for us.

"An overseas trip?"

"I have to go on a business trip. You've grown quite a bit, so I think you can handle a trip. This destination can test your magical aptitudes. It might be tough, but I think it's worth it."

The adults seemed to know about this, and Elise nodded.

With the parents' permission, there's no reason not to go.

Considering the destination, it does seem like a good place for aptitude testing, and I definitely want to go.

The trip itself is also appealing.

However, there's one thing I need to mention first.

"I want to go. I'm curious about my aptitude and interested in other towns. But I have one request. I want to bring Fluer. I think she has magical talent too."

"Fluer? Are you sure...?"

"If we have aptitudes, I think Fluer does too."

Kyle answered for me.

"Wow... You always surprise me, boys..."

This time, it was Fluer who surprised us.

After exchanging glances with Elise, Cruise hesitated for a moment before responding.

"I think we can bring her and do the aptitude testing. There's room in the carriage. But it's a long journey. We can't bring her without talking to her and, more importantly, her parents."

That's a reasonable point.

We can't do anything without having the conversation first.

We decided to conclude the day with that.

The next day, Elise immediately explained the situation to Fia, Fluer's mother.

I would have preferred to do the convincing myself, but such important matters are not for a child to handle.

So, I heard the aftermath from Fluer later.

It seems that Elise's mother effectively conveyed the story of Fluer's talent, and while Fia was surprised by the sudden proposal, she didn't strongly oppose it and decided to discuss it with Gies at home.

Naturally, Fluer was overjoyed.

She could get closer to the magic she had once tried to learn, even if it meant risking her precious pendant.

She could take the aptitude test she had once given up on.

On the other hand, Gies didn't outright refuse but had a troubled expression.

She was his precious only daughter.

Even though they would be traveling through relatively safe areas, it was incomparable to modern Japan.

Anything could happen on a long journey, so it was understandable.

But Fluer was determined to go.

So, she fought alone.

She pushed her high-performance brain to its limits and used every means at her disposal to persuade them.

She even threatened to run away and used sweet talk, and finally, she dragged her father to the magistrate's office to have Cruise explain the scale of the security, and she won the right to go.

I heard this dramatic story on the carriage during the journey.

In the end, Fluer had been so busy with the preparations that we hadn't seen each other until today.

I thought she might not make it...

In any case, we were all able to set out on the journey together.

Our destination is the Etoah Kingdom.

It is the headquarters of the Iseria religion, which spans the entire continent, and the country of the goddess.