Chapter 2

In this world, it seems my name is 'Aul'. The language isn't Japanese, but fortunately, I can somehow understand it.

It appears that a goddess has adjusted things for me.

My body doesn't move as I wish, but my consciousness is clear, and I've ended up as a rather eerie baby.

However, my body seems to act on instinct, and when I get hungry or experience other physiological phenomena, I end up crying. When I'm full, I fall asleep, and being a baby turns out to be quite a lot of work.

Still, my mother takes care of me without a single complaint. It seems that a mother's love doesn't change, no matter the world.

My mother's name is Emuria, apparently. I haven't seen my father yet. He's probably working outside.

...No good. I'm getting sleepy again...

I woke up in the evening. When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar man talking to my mother.

He came over and hugged me, so he must be my father. His name is Lark, apparently. From the fact that neither of them has a last name, they don't seem to be nobles.

"Aul, it's your father."

He looks like a well-built, wild handsome man, but he's probably a doting parent.

From listening to their conversation, it seems we are farmers. This year has been a good harvest, so we can spend the winter quite comfortably.

The lord is a good person, with low taxes and a kind heart towards the people. I have a very good impression of him. If he treated the people like livestock, I would have started a rebellion.

However, unlike on Earth, farmers in Altria are apparently poor.

Then, at night.

My mother casually said, "Light," and a light about 10 cm in diameter appeared.

This is apparently magic. It must consume magic power to use it.

Hmm, I need to conduct some experiments!

The next morning, after being fed breast milk by my mother, I was left alone at home. She's apparently nearby, but I'm definitely alone.

Even though I can't speak, I can still chant in my mind.

(Light!)

Yeah... I need to start by understanding what magic power is. It must be inside my body.

...After about two hours of meditation.

Huh.

I must have fallen asleep. No good, no good. I need to focus and meditate again.

Then, I could sense something vague inside my body.

It's very little, but it's definitely there. I tried to gather it in my right hand, but it didn't work at all.

Whenever I tried to move the magic power, I ended up falling asleep. Being a baby, it seems sleeping is my job.

Still, I couldn't give up and continued trying to gather magic power in my right hand. It's not like I had much else to do.

After about two weeks of this, I finally saw a change.

(I finally gathered the vague stuff in my right hand. This must be magic power.)

I finally managed to gather magic power in my right hand. However, whenever I moved the magic power, I immediately got tired and fell asleep.

For now, all I can do is gather it, and then I lose consciousness. Still, I continued training to move the magic power without giving up.

After about six months of this, the magic power started to circulate through my body like blood, even without me thinking about it. And thanks to daily practice, I don't get tired as easily as before.

My body has grown, which might be a factor.

Now it's spring. The winter in this village doesn't seem to have much snow, but my parents usually did something inside the house during the winter, like side jobs.

With the arrival of spring, my parents started working outside more, so I could finally move on to the next stage.

My goal is 'Light.' Or rather, that's the only magic I know.

Since I still can't speak well, I chanted it in my mind.

(Light!)

...I had a feeling it wouldn't work, but magic is a serious business.

Still, I didn't give up and continued practicing. I tried to imagine the light my mother created, but it didn't work.

After thinking about what to do, I continued for three days without giving up.

Suddenly, a light flashed in front of my eyes, and a light ball about 20 cm in diameter appeared.

It seemed bigger than my mother's, but I didn't pay much attention to that. I was more moved by the fact that I had finally managed to cast a spell.

(I did it! Magic! Finally, I... can... use... it...)

Even though I could cast it at first, I immediately fell asleep. But after that, whenever I had free time, I practiced making light balls.

After about three months, I could create 20 light balls at once, each about 30 cm in diameter.

When I touched them, they weren't hot, so they seemed to be cold light, like the light from fireflies.

※※※

Recently, I've been a bit troubled by the temperature. This area is quite hot, and it gets very warm in the summer. Even though my mother puts me in the shade, it's still hot.

I thought about how to deal with it and decided to try using magic. I imagined using ice and wind magic to create an air conditioner.

I didn't know what types of magic existed, so I didn't expect it to work. But when I tried, it succeeded.

Huh?

No, no, no, how long did it take to be able to create light...?

On a whim, I tried to imagine an LED instead of the usual light and cast the spell. It shone incredibly bright, far surpassing the usual light.

At that moment, I realized something. It seems my body is not good at using this world's magic. However, when I use magic based on my Earth experiences, I can use it easily, which is a rather cheat-like ability.

Goddess... Did you consider this? If you have memories from your past life, you tend to think in those terms, right?

From then on, it was easy. I named the magic 'Air Conditioner.'

When my parents came home from work, they noticed the house was cool and looked at me curiously. When I tilted my head, they laughed and it was over.

They probably didn't think a baby could do it. Still, I'm glad they didn't think too much about it.

The next day, I decided to practice various types of magic, but often the magic power wasn't enough and it didn't work.

So, for the time being, I decided to focus on circulating magic power inside my body and practicing with light and air conditioning. I thought that the more I used magic power, the more it would increase.

...

Four years have passed.

Today is my 5th birthday. In this area, children can receive baptism at the church when they turn 5.

"Aul, today is the day of baptism. Are you ready?"

"I'm fine, Mom. See you later!"

My mother, even after five years, hasn't aged at all. If someone asked if she was my sister, they might believe it.

My father, on the other hand, has become even more muscular. I don't know what he's aiming for, but he and my mother are still very much in love, which is reassuring.

I thought they might have another child, but they don't have the financial means to raise another one, so they gave up. They seem quite practical.

Baptism, in this world, means receiving a blessing from the creator god. The creator god is probably that goddess.

The blessings are diverse, and some can even determine one's life. Some great people have received the blessing of Sword Saint and even founded a country.

I went to the church, excited, and saw a few other children gathered. This village only has a small church, and the priest only visits occasionally.

Therefore, children who turn 5 in the same month gather and receive baptism on a set day.

"Oh, Aul. You're 5 this month. Time flies."

"Yes, Father. I'm looking forward to what blessing I'll receive!"

"Aul is a smart child. You might receive a great blessing."

The priest laughed and started preparing for the baptism.

The baptisms of the other children began one after another, and it was finally my turn.

"Thou, Aul, may the creator god's blessing be upon thee for the rest of thy life."

As the priest finished the short prayer, my body glowed for a moment and then settled.

Immediately, I understood what blessing I had received.

The blessing I received was "Versatile Poverty."

...Huh?

Versatile... Poverty.

It feels like a blessing from my previous life. I feel like I'm being sarcastically blessed. Does the goddess actually dislike me?

But, it's not that bad. As a person with many interests, being able to do a little bit of everything might be a blessing. Yeah, it probably is.

The tears streaming down my face are just sweat.

...Sigh, I want to cry. Oh, I was crying.

I will understand the greatness of this skill as I grow older.

I will update this bit by bit.

I would be happy if you could rate and bookmark it.