Chapter 15

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

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The production of smoked foods like smoked cheese and bacon has taken off, bringing some economic comfort to our household. I couldn't sell the smoked goods without my parents finding out, so I decided to take it up as a side job.

I've started selling in small quantities in Oren Village. I set the prices quite low so that anyone in the village can afford them. I feel a bit guilty about it, but it's a special price for the villagers.

Despite this, it's been quite profitable, and we're earning enough that we can no longer be called a poor farming family. My parents were quite surprised by this.

However, I'm secretly selling a special type of smoked food, made with more attention to the smoking chips, to Lebrant. I don't think he has any complaints, though. Apparently, more than half of what I sell to Lebrant is bought by the Margrave.

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By the way, there have been changes in the village.

Oren Village is a small village, but recently, people have started moving in, though I don't know where the rumors are coming from. According to my father, about 30 people have already moved in. The village chief is overjoyed.

"Father, why are so many people moving in recently? There have always been some, but more people have been leaving than coming in, right?"

"Well, it seems the reason is you, Aul."

"Huh? Why me?"

"I heard this from the village chief... Apparently, the rumor is that despite a significant stampede, the village was almost unscathed. People have been moving in because of this. Also, there's a rumor that this village has incredibly delicious dried meat at very low prices."

It seems that a villager, while visiting another town, couldn't help but talk about it at a tavern. If it had just been a tall tale, it might have been dismissed, but when an agitated villager handed the bacon to the tavern master, the rumor spread quickly.

...It's all my fault, but I fought to protect my hometown, so I can't help it. I want the villagers to enjoy delicious food, and I don't like having my item box filled with meat, so I'm selling it as a side job. There's no helping it.

Well, it can't be helped. The village chief is happy, so everything is fine.

---

It's the height of summer, and it's hotter this year than last. Our house is cool because I'm here, but the villagers are suffering. I thought about what I could do and came up with the idea of a pool, but it would be like a mud bath.

...If everyone could cool off and I could make a profit with a good margin, that would be great.

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That's it, shaved ice! I can make a decent syrup with apples, and if I ask Quinn, I can get honey. I can also pick berries from the forest to make a perfect syrup. I can make ice with magic for free.

Maybe I have a talent for business. When I grow a bit more, I want to broaden my horizons by visiting the capital of this territory, the royal capital, and even the empire if possible. It would be great if I could do business while I'm there.

I aspire to be an adventurer, but I can already use magic to some extent and don't lack money. I can't use a sword, but I can use a spear or a knife, so I want to do it when my body is more developed. I'm continuously working on increasing my magic power, and recently, it's becoming difficult to use it all.

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Alright, I'll try making some shaved ice. I'll make two types of syrup: one with apple and one with berries soaked in honey.

I've found many fruits in the forest during my walks. However, this time, I plan to make a short trip to the foot of Azalea Spirit Mountain. It's been a while since the last stampede, and I want to check if there are any new monsters or fruits.

I arrived at the foot of the mountain in about an hour by running with the help of magic, avoiding weak monsters along the way.

"Wow, I've never seen this before. ...It doesn't seem toxic or harmful, and there's a lot of it. It's not a berry, but I'll try making syrup with it."

As I got closer to the foot of the mountain, I found many fruits I hadn't seen before. Most of the monsters were the same as those from the last stampede, but I was lucky to find an orc colony.

There were about 20 orcs, with the strongest being an Orc General, equivalent to a B-rank monster.

"He's about twice as big as other orcs... The orc knight was so delicious. This one must be even better."

I could feel saliva building up in my mouth. I'm quite something... Normally, seeing an Orc General would make you think of death.

Moreover, the weapon the Orc General holds is concerning. It's unusual, hard to describe, but definitely something to watch out for. It's a small saber, but it would be a bit large for me to hold.

Even with magic, I can't be careless. This is the foot of Azalea Spirit Mountain, which is considered an A-level danger zone in the royal capital, and probably a B to C level danger zone even at the foot.

...Well, that's all I've heard from Lebrant.

I don't want to hurt the orc too much, but I don't want to take unnecessary risks.

So, I'll use wind magic. I'll focus my magic to make the wind sharp and fast. The distance is about 100 meters. Alright!

Wind Cutter! x20!

Invisible blades of wind approached the unsuspecting orcs. One orc's head was severed, and the others followed quickly.

The hunt, which was supposed to end quickly, was interrupted by the Orc General. No, that's not accurate. It was interrupted by the weapon the Orc General held.

The moment the wind blade hit the Orc General's neck, the saber glowed, and the Wind Cutter disappeared.

"Magic nullification...?"

BUMOOOOOO!!!!

The Orc General, enraged by the death of his comrades, charged at me. I tried to hide my location with magic, but it's clear he has some skill.

"Seriously!? This is bad!"

Moreover, he started using magic. It was weak water magic, not a threat to me, but this is typical of Azalea Spirit Mountain.

"Still, that weapon is cheat-level!"

I kept my distance and fired five Ice Lances, but they were all deflected by the saber.

I tried Rock Bullets and Water Bullets, but they were all shot down. B-rank is not to be underestimated.

I fired 20 Wind Cutters at once, but the saber glowed, and the magic disappeared.

"Hmm, maybe..."

Maybe this thing can't nullify magic with mass. It's just a hunch...

Thunder Ray!

As expected, the saber glowed, and the magic was nullified. I tried Rock Bullets x5, and they were cut down.

This hypothesis seems correct!

Now that I know, there are many ways to deal with it. I quickly focused on earth magic.

"It's not a pretty win, but a win is a win!"

Pitfall! Ice Pillar!

The sudden appearance of a pitfall caught him off guard. The ice spikes I created under the pitfall must have skewered him.

I cautiously checked, and it seemed the ice had pierced his neck. His heavy weight was his downfall.

I collected the orc, including the saber, and bled it out. If I don't do this, the meat will become smelly.

I really want to use the saber right away, but I should be cautious since I'm at the foot of the unknown Azalea Spirit Mountain.

After that, I didn't encounter any particularly strong monsters and successfully gathered what I needed.

---

The next day was also scorching hot, and staying outside for a long time would likely cause heatstroke. Despite this, I set up a small stall in the village square.

As a 6-year-old, the adults passing by looked at me with warm eyes. This village is full of kind people, and the security is so good that fights are rare.

I placed a wooden sign in front of the stall that read, "Cool treats available," and waited for customers. The first customer was the village chief.

"Ah, Aul. Is this a pretend store? Can you give me something?"

"It's three copper coins!"

"Here you go," he said, giving me three copper coins. Since he was my first customer, I gave him a special service with a large serving of shaved ice.

I made the ice fine and smooth with magic and recommended the syrup made from the fruits I found at Azalea Spirit Mountain.

"Here you go!"

"Wow... It's cold. What is this food?"

"It's called shaved ice! Eat it before it melts!"

"Is this ice in this season...?" the village chief said hesitantly, but after the first bite, he started eating quickly and holding his head.

"By the way, if you eat it too fast, your head will hurt, so be careful!"

"Aul, you should have told me that earlier."

The village chief looked a bit exasperated.

I wanted to see this reaction, but for people in this world, getting a headache from eating food might be like being poisoned. I'll be more careful next time.

After that, a few customers came, but because I'm a child, the number of customers wasn't as good as I hoped.

"Well, this is the first day, so it's not bad."

It was so hot at night that I gave Mirei shaved ice, and she was so happy she cried. She even said she would marry me. It must have been that delicious.

Being told that by such a beautiful girl isn't bad. Even with memories from my past life, I'm a resident of this world, and it's not strange to like someone my age.

My parents also enjoyed it, but everyone ate too quickly and ended up holding their heads in pain, which was quite amusing.

The next day, after helping with the morning chores, I went to the square and found more people than usual.

I set up my stall and a few adults approached.

"So, this is the store the village chief was talking about."

"The village chief? Yes, I'm selling shaved ice for three copper coins!"

"Please sell us some!"

"By the way, if you bring a deep dish from home, I can give you a large serving!"

Yesterday, I made dishes from the wood I cut, but it was too much work, so this way, I save time. Making ice with magic is good for my magic training, and it's cost-effective.

People called others, and about 70 people came to buy each day. Thanks to this, I made a decent amount of money over a month, though it was all copper coins.

Lebrant wanted to sell it but gave up because it was ice. However, he bought all the leftover syrup, which was impressive.

Apparently, there are no such syrups or sauces made from these rare fruits in the royal capital, and they sell quickly.

I sometimes think I could make a lot of money in the royal capital, but it would be troublesome if strange nobles noticed me.

Margrave Randolph is a pervert but a sensible and good noble, and Lady Mire is kind despite her quirks. However, not everyone is like that, and they are probably the minority.

If I ever go to the royal capital, I'll study more magic and become stronger first.

Meanwhile, the rumor of a child selling cool treats in Oren Village started spreading in the territory capital and the royal capital, but the person responsible had no idea.