Chapter 6

Today, as usual, I was in the midst of developing new land. Since my abilities mysteriously increased the other day, I thought there might be a possibility that they would continue to improve with constant use. I believed in the theory that "if you keep using it, your abilities will increase," and I was practicing by cultivating the land with earth magic, creating bones to till the ground together.

It seems that the bones are also strengthened by my magic, and they can cultivate the land at the same speed as I can. To add more load, I placed a stick figure on my shoulder and made it perform tap dancing, Cossack dancing, and line dancing. The limit for controlling the bones is three if I watch them, and one if I don’t. To push my control ability to the limit, I added more stick figures for practice.

At first, my father and others criticized me for wasting my magic power—though it wasn’t a waste for me. However, when I explained that it was for my sister and that my workload had doubled with the help of the bones, my father understood, and so did the others. Of course, I still get strange looks, but I’m used to it.

I was told that if I practice, I should perform a play in the central square next time. I understand that there’s almost no entertainment in this village, but frankly, it’s a hassle. I’m the type of otaku who enjoys fooling around with family. I don’t remember, but I was probably the same in my previous life.

Ah, but come to think of it, I was also asked to show it to Renaer before. If I show it in the square, I can say that I showed it as promised, even though I didn’t make a promise.

While thinking about this, I continued to dig the ground, making a sound that shouldn’t exist in the earth. I felt something and turned my eyes in that direction, seeing something moving. When I looked closely, I saw something coming out of the distant forest.

If something happens, I was told to call out immediately, so I used wind magic to make a high-pitched sound like a whistle.

"What’s wrong, Ruka! What happened!"

Hearing the sound, my father quickly ran over. I pointed to the moving objects, which were still as small as beans.

"What is it? ... Oh, they’re Forest Wolves! Why are they coming out in broad daylight! – Everyone, stop working and gather! Forest Wolves have appeared! They will attack soon! Good job, Ruka, for noticing!"

The villagers were working over a wide area, but since everyone was using self-enhancement, they quickly gathered after my father’s loud voice. Some were already switching to bows. Among them was Renaer’s father.

"Archers, move closer to the fence and aim accurately, don’t waste arrows. The rest, use earth magic to throw stones. Try to slow them down so the archers can hit them more easily."

I’ve never seen my father take such a leadership role before. Usually, he’s just a doting father, but seeing him like this makes me respect him a bit.

"Ruka, you go back to the village at full speed and inform the priest, then the mayor. After that, evacuate everyone to the church, including those working in the fields. You haven’t used up all your magic, right?"

"Of course, I can make 100 round trips to the village without any problem!"

"O-Oh, right."

"And here, these can be used for throwing stones and as arrows."

Using magic to enhance and circulate, I created a mountain of stones for throwing and sticks with pointed ends. I can’t make the complex ones with feathers.

"Ruka, you..."

My father let out a sigh of exasperation but then shook his head as if he had a realization.

"No, it’s fine. Hurry, there’s no time to waste."

"Got it!"

I cut off the control of the bones and used the remaining power to enhance myself to the maximum, then ran back to the village at full speed.

◇◇◇◇

"That kid is just..."

I sighed, watching my son, who moved faster than anyone here, and the large number of arrows and stones he had created.

"He’s just like his father, isn’t he, Captain Ed?"

"Shut up, don’t call me Captain, and besides, he’s definitely weirder than me."

Roge, who used to be my subordinate and is now a neighbor in the same village, teased me as he picked up the arrows.

"Alright, Mr. Ed, but your son’s arrows are straight. And there are so many of them."

Roge muttered that the stones were also impressive, perfectly round.

Indeed, even without fletching, these arrows are straight enough to hit their mark better than the village’s bent arrows. And with this large number of arrows, all my instructions were unnecessary.

"Change of plan, no need to lure them to the fence, just shoot as much as you want and kill them. Use the stones Ruka made if needed."

With this large number of arrows and the rapid fire of the archers, we can turn them into sieves in no time. I was prepared for injuries, but with this, it will be a piece of cake.

"Die, die, die!!"

"Shoot as much as you want!!"

"Feels so good!!"

... Usually, he kept a calm face, but since he was only doing development in the frontier, he must have been stressed. Watching my former subordinates, who were ecstatically shooting arrows at the Forest Wolves, who were still far away, I felt a mix of regret for bringing them along and gratitude, but more importantly...

"You guys are having all the fun! Let me shoot too!!"

"Captain, just throw stones."

"Yeah, Captain, you can throw stones with your brute strength, right?"

"Stop calling me Captain! And don’t use honorifics!"

While yelling, I threw a stone with all my might, expecting it to shatter upon hitting the beast, but it pierced through its head. And that was the last one.

◇◇◇◇

– A little earlier

"Is the priest here!"

I rushed into the church through the back gate, searching for the priest. A sister who was cleaning inside noticed my frantic state and said, "Please wait a moment," then ran to the back and quickly returned with the priest.

"My father said Forest Wolves have appeared. Please inform the priest and the mayor to evacuate everyone to the church."

"Magic beasts have appeared, huh? Wolf-type magic beasts usually come out at night... Oh, right, we need to evacuate. I’ll go to Mr. Tosten’s place as well."

Those were magic beasts. They were as small as beans, but it was the first time I saw them. Ah, Mr. Tosten is the mayor of this village. The priest gave instructions to the sister in case of injuries and left the church. He tilted his head, looking into the distance through the back gate.

"It seems to be almost over."

"Huh? Can you see from this distance, Father?"

"Yes, it’s like an advanced form of enhancement."

Wow, I didn’t know you could do that.

"It seems the battle was mostly decided by archery, but what about those large numbers of arrows? – Oh, it looks like your father finished them off with stones. What excellent earth magic."

"I don’t know if he used the stones, but the arrows were probably the ones I made."

"Hmm, you did..."

He glanced at me, but the priest’s narrow eyes are scary at times like this.

"I see, then come to my place tomorrow."

"Huh? Why suddenly? And I have development work tomorrow."

"I’ll talk to Edward. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything bad."

What? That’s really scary. Did my magic not work?

"Development work is probably canceled today. Let’s check for injuries and report to Mr. Tosten with Edward and the others."

I want to go back now that it’s over, but the priest is holding my hand, so I can’t escape. He’s holding it softly, but there’s no sign of letting go.

Is he a master? ... Just kidding, a ten-year-old can’t break free from an adult’s grip.

Thank you for reading.

Trying to post daily is quite challenging, and I’ve realized how amazing everyone who writes novels is.