Chapter 25

Thank you very much for the 13th place in the daily high fantasy ranking!

"Thanks to you, little girl, for doing this for us."

"You'll be a fine woman someday."

As Mina moved around, handing out towels wrung out with water, the adventurers and woodcutters called out to her one after another. Mina, who was shy around people, initially struggled to gauge the distance between herself and them. However, as she became a bit more accustomed to their friendly nature, she started to respond with short replies like "Yeah" and "Thanks."

"The girl's father is a great man."

Occasionally, some people mistook Reta for her father, but for some reason, Mina had no intention of correcting them. When Reta was praised, Mina felt as if she herself was being praised.

(Reta is amazing!)

Reta refers to herself as a guardian.

Then, Mina sometimes wonders what she is to Reta.

Is she just a protected person, or something else?

(Reta is a good person.)

She knew this from the moment they met.

He treats her with care, even though she has only told him her name.

He is always considerate and, above all, kind. No, he is too kind.

(He's nothing like the healers I know.)

In the past, she had met healers for a certain reason.

They were greedy and could not be called good people, and compared to Reta, they were so foolish and despicable that it would be rude to even compare them.

Meeting Reta, she felt how lucky she was.

-- That's why there are things she can't tell him.

-- There are things she must hide.

This made her heart heavy.

(What if Reta finds out the real me?)

His smile might cloud over.

No, it might be tainted with disgust.

Just thinking about it made her hands and feet tremble with fear and anxiety.

(I want to stay with Reta forever.)

Please, God.

Give me more time with Reta.

The young girl prayed to God with all her might.

*

Reta, while watching the backs of the woodcutters who had resumed their work, sipped tea with Mina and the guard, Tex.

They were taking a short break after finishing a task, but no one was complaining.

In fact, it was the others who forced Reta to take a break, as he was the only one not taking one.

"Damn. I know it's necessary, but with so many monster attacks, can't they do something about the logging operations?"

"... Uncle, what do you mean?"

"Hey, little girl. Can't you at least call me 'big brother'? I'm only forty, you know."

"I think you're definitely an uncle. More like a grandpa?"

"Ouch! So, are you saying I'm an uncle to you too, big brother?"

"No. Reta is Reta. He's not an uncle."

"Hahaha, thanks."

I feel bad for Mina, who is so considerate, but I am fully aware that I am an uncle.

My physical strength has declined rapidly, and I feel like my muscles have atrophied. I'm also a bit concerned about my belly, and I think my hairline has receded more than when I was in my twenties.

I had heard that you start to feel old after thirty, but in my twenties, I never even dreamed of such a thing.

"Big brother, can you use any other magic besides healing?"

"Well, I can use a bit of offensive magic and some support magic. It's more like a broad and shallow range."

"Hmm. That's not bad. I have something I want to try. Would you mind helping me out?"

"Don't do anything weird, okay?"

"I wouldn't do that. I just want to do something that will help the woodcutters. Hey, everyone. Take a break. I want to try something!"

Tex, having come up with an idea, asked Reta for permission and then started suggesting a break to the woodcutters.

However, the woodcutters, who had sat down, said, "No, come here. Yeah, stand behind big brother," and moved Reta to the back.

"Huh? What's this?"

"Alright, it's up to you."

"Huh? Wait, wait. What do you want me to do?"

"Can't you use magic to make it easier to cut down the trees?"

"That's impossible!"

There's no way there could be a magic that makes it easy to cut down the large trees in front of him.

(No, wait a minute?)

The magic he had used before came to mind.

However, the usage is a bit different. But it might work, he nodded to himself.

"Is it worth a try?"

"Wow, that's the spirit, big brother. If you have an idea, give it a shot."

"Alright. But don't come near me, no matter what."

After giving the warning, he focused deeply and took a stance.

He extended his right arm and pulled it back. Then, he swung it forward.

"--- Slash, Wind Blade."

An invisible blade of wind was released from Reta.

In the next moment, the trees in front of him were cut down in dozens.