The morning sun lights up the Maheim Mountain range, creating a morning scene
Itâs the same here as it is at the Goldiba home.
Reflected light comes from the white mosque like building.
The light shines on the black cat which sleeps on the roof, making her pupils dilate.
The morning sun illuminates the top of the large stone pavements where remnants of fog remain.
The morning sun shines of the figure of two men whom are slowly dancing to train in the spear.
The black cat Rollodinu watched the movement of the two below without moving on the roof, when the spear fight develops into and intense exchange of blows, she takes on a low crouched posture, watching the movements as if aiming at prey.
Increasingly impatient, her twin red eyes dilate in excitement. Following the movements of the two people rocking the lower half of the body while having an intense fight, she appears as if watching an exchange of tennis, she begins to slightly turn her head back and forth, matching the rhythm.
To the eyes of the black cat Rollodinu the two people might look like mice, putting emphasis on her hind legs to jump and catch them. But, then noticing she was on the roof, she changed her target to the thin straw on the edge of the eaves and pounced. Clapping the straw between her paws to bite it while lying on her back, she rolls tumbling down the roof and begins to play.
Rollodinu releases an excited breath for the joy of catching her prey. She becomes engrossed by playing alone with the straw. Rollodinu appears to have lost interest in the other two people training.
Under the black cat, there is a girl who peeps at the training. The name of the girl is Refaa. Refaa watches the training from the shadow of the pillar under the roof, not minding as Rollodinu plays and becomes noisy. With a serious expression that didnât resemble a girl, she continues staring, absorbed by the two people handling the spears. However, Refaa suddenly makes an expression of desire. Stopping the observation of the training, she turns on her small heel and returned to the hut.
Shortly, Refaa emerges from the entrance of the house.
A short stick is grasped in her hand. With an expression that doesnât resemble a little girl, moving her small neck very fast, she checks around the area restlessly. Refaa nods, and runs to the shadow at the back of the hut.
When the girl arrives at the back of the hut grasping the stick with two small hands, she turns the spear around in the way Achilles did taking a posture aiming at the eyes. She begins moving the stick to the front, back, left, and right, imitating the movement of the two training. The movements are childlike, it is the movement of the lesser art of stick fighting, but now and then, a sharp stick fighting technique was made that didnât suit a girl.
Refaa trains the spear desperately.
When time passes, seemingly satisfied with her own stick fighting technique, she wipes the sweat from her brow smiling a sweet dimpled smile like a little girl.
And then, again returning to the hut to hide, she came unexpectedly to the face of the hut. Refaa is attentive, restlessly looking around not wanting an adult to realize she is hiding the stick. Again, seeing thereâs no one, Refaa skipped to move behind the pillar. Once again, she begins to watch the spear training being carried out in the open space.
ââââ
Fuu, itâs over itâs over.
The fight felt quite good, though my skill still has some way to go.
Especially the end of the counter-clockwise turning, itâs still not fast enough.
While I reflect on the contents of the training, I call to Rollo who is dozing on the roof under the morning sun.
I take the black cat and we return to my room together.
When I enter the room the black cat jumps the top of the furniture where the shelves form a line.
She seems to want to secure high view-point.
Iâll take a morning bath.
Itâs easier than using the bath shed, thereâs no need to prepare firewood, I pour hot water into the pail in the room Iâm staying in.
Life magic really is convenient.
When a little hot water begins to accumulate in the pail, I quickly strip myself.
I pour hot water from life magic over my head while standing barefoot in the tub. The hot water collecting in the tub feels good, I stop the life magic.
I sit down in the pail and soak in the hot water.
I wish I could have used this magic immediately after I came to this worldâŠâŠ
While thinking such complaints, I wash my face with hot water.
Because itâs warm, standing there, I stretch a hand out to the shelf. I pick up âgyuza grassâ in the form of a round dumpling, I cup my hands and put the gyuza grass there to pray to the Buddha statue. I repeatedly rub the grass up and down in between my palms.
This soap work similar to soap.
At first it only looked like mugwort-flavored rice-flour dumpling, so I didnât use it, but the other day Achilles-shisho told me âdirt is removed easily,â and after that I have used it frequently.
I was actually surprised when I used it at first.
Bubbles coming out, the dirt comes off quicklyâŠâŠ
Foamy bubble bubble.
The bubbles rise up as if to say bioreâ. (Note: Japanese facial wash.)
It looks like grass juice of the mugwort-flavored rice-flour dumplingâŠâŠ
How does this grass juice bubble up?
I remember there was a tree like that somewhere in a tropical rainforest on earth. Well, itâs a small thing. The convenient thing is convenient.
I wash my face and body.
Finally, I check my beard. The beard has been growing from my cheeks. Should I shave my facial hair as well as the hair on my headâŠâŠI bundle the hair ad put a knife against at the base. I quickly cut the hair with the knife.
The amount of power put into my hand grasping the hair on my head isnât normal, so itâs easy. Probably, Iâm now able to tear a thick phone book, or a deck of cards easily with my bare hands. I want a mirror, but because there isnât one I leave my hair as it is. I threw the hair I cut into the leather bag for the trash as not to let it scatter about.
Rollo looks curiously at the hair I cut, it wasnât a thing to play with.
Well, next is shaving.
Carefully putting the knife to my lathered face, I shave the beard. Iâve though many time since a while ago, I grope around as thereâs no mirrorâŠâŠso, I shave itâite. Thereâs no helping it since Iâm using a knife in place of a razor blade. I continue suffering shallow cut on my cheeks and necksâŠâŠ
Well, itâs fine.
The blood flows from the wounds as it closes up quickly.
âShuya onii-chaăn. Breakfast, I was able toâŠâŠKYAA!â
Ah, Refaa. SighâŠâŠ
Which reminds me, Iâm shaving myself while naked.
Refaa made a small embarrassed scream and hid behind a pillar with a red face. That way, I become serious and begin talking.
âHaha, was the stimulation too strong for Refaa?â
âMo! Shuya onii-chan is etchi, because weâre eating please donât come nakedă?â
âHahaha, I got it.â
Iâm still worried about leaving part of it unshaven, but thereâs no helping it even if I worry. Sigh.
Finishing properly, I go to eat breakfast.
Breakfast was fried mushrooms and some kind of leaves.
When I eat the delicious stir-fry, Shisho brings something up while I hold a mushroom in my mouth.
ââŠâŠShuya, did you cut your hair? Itâs really messy, but after we finish weeding should I fix it?â
âStrange hairââ
Refaa points at me and laughs.
âOnce thereâs time itâs all right. Other than that, in addition, arenât you going out harvesting?â
âThatâs right. There still isnât enough. So should we go together?â
âNo, thereâs a little training I want to do.â
âEehă, Shuya onii-chan, letâs go togetherăâ
âHmă, again this time?â
Refaa not convinced, turned to the side and made small humph. Achilles-shisho sees this and nods.
âDonât be selfish Refaa.â
âReally? You mustnât bother Shuya-san. Then, since it will be bad if something like last time happens, you mustnât leave grandpa and mineâs side.â
âOkay. The monster that time was scary.â
Refaa nods her head.
Remembering the ghost lipped monster, I become quiet.
âIs Raguren harvesting too?â
âNo, there are monsters to hunt and I have to check the snares. Other than that, itâs unusual for Shuya give himself priority.â
âHumu. I guess. I actually want to help Raguren and Shisho too, but I seem to be getting close to getting a hold on guidance moji. So, I want to work on it today.â
Then, Rabbi-sanâs face becomes gentle, and looking at my face smiles.
âFufu, Shuya-san, weâre always receiving your help. Please spend your time freely once in a while. The other day hunting was easy for Raguren after Shuya came, were your thanked?â
âThatâs right. You should work for yourself sometime.â
âAnd then, since I made a little too much bread in the kitchen, please eat at noon.â
âAlright. Thank you.â
After we finish talking, everyone goes their own way.
I also return to the hut, and begin training at once.
I close my eyes and sit in meditation.
Usually, I am happy to follow Raguren and Achilles-shishoâŠâŠI wonât go this time. Anyway, since my guidance moji managed to hold the knife with the âMana HandââŠâŠall along, as I imagine âmonoâ Iâm able to grasp it.
âI open my eyes wide, and stare at one point, concentrating on it.
I imagine it carefully this time.
âA Mana Hand.
I donât pay much attention to how many fingers the hand will have.
Using thick strands of mana, I weave a thread, spin the mana, refining it desperately. Nevertheless, the image trims off mana fruitlesslyâŠâŠ
At that time, and âimageâ in my mind appeared floating in front of my eyes. I did it!
I see it clearly with the magic observing eye.
Thereâs a bundle of pale light gathered together, appearing as a big âdistorted mana hand.â
A thin magic path extends from the wrist of the âdistorted mana hand,â something like a hand sways back and forth.
There are seven fingers and a big warped palm.
Innumerable small mana bands overlap inside of it.
Itâs the result of what I imagined carefullyâŠâŠ
Iâm very aware of its strength, it doesnât collapse easily this time.
Oh, a skill. I did it! The pleasant skill acquisition sound rings in my head, and it is displayed in front of me in red.
Promptly, I activate the guidance moji type skill .
â holds the knife.
Iâm able to swing it around with my will.
âI did it, yatta! It worked!â
âMm, Nya.â
Again Rollo was surprised like she was the other day, ignoring such a Rollo, I suddenly rush to Achilles-shishoâs smithing room. Shisho isnât in the room. Remembering I mutter a small âoh.â
I remember, he went for gathering medicinal herbs. I was told.
The underground blacksmith room falls silent, and I scratch my head.
My head is full of the new magic thought guidance hand from the distorted mana hand. âThereâs no helping it. Iâm also hungry, so I go up the stairs and into the kitchen.
I eat the bread from Rabbi-san.
Something like a tomato and root vegetables hang from a beam in the room, as a lot are hanging, itâs a little obstructive.
While moving the dried vegetables aside with a hand, I look for the kitchen.
Bread, bread, breadâ
âAh.â
Some flat objects were piled on top of a circular solid stone oven.
Is it this? Rabbi-san said it was bread.
I carry one piece of flat bread to my mouth with a hand. I leave the house while eating.
This bread, tastes like itâs made of mushrooms.
Furthermore, lumps of something fruit-like and sweet honey is inside, itâs not raisins, well itâs good. The outside of the bread is hard like French bread, itâs only tough there and the insides are delicious because itâs soft. I go to the open space with black spear in hand to train, but Iâm absorbed in the tough feeling of the thing Iâm chewing. I ate the bread quickly.
Itâs hard, but because itâs tasty, I regret not bringing another. Will she change her job to delicious baker in the future? While having playful thoughts, I quench my thirst with water from life magic.
After I ate and rehydrated, I took up the black spear and begin training.
I activate the skill.
Using the âdistorted mana handâ from the âMagic Thought Guidance Handâ skill I grasp the knife in the air.
I attack with the black spear there. Affected by the knife attack Iâm unused to, my spear handling is awkward too.
Thereâs no helping it at first.
I utter a short sigh at the high degree of difficulty.
I continue to train for hours while struggling in such a conditionâ
âOh, Shuya. Youâre training hard.â
âAra, have you been training this whole time? Do your best.â
âShuya onii-chană, look, look, this many leaves, I found themăâ
The three people returning from collecting talked.
Refaaâs head is visible behind a big pile of leaves she is holding in her small hands.
Rabbi-san has a large pile of leaves she has put in a big basket.
The magic bag hanging at Shishoâs waist is swelling like a balloon, and a large amount of leaves are floating through the air with Guidance Moji.
âA lot of leaves, for Rabbi-san and Shisho, such a large quantityâŠâŠâ
âIsnât this natural? Kawa leaves are used every day, in addition to being an edible plant used in meals, itâs a medical herb that can be used with the cattle and medicine for the family. And Shuya, what share do you have?â
I donât use the kawa other than when I go flower picking at the toilet.
ââŠâŠOh, thatâs rightâŠâŠhaha.â
âThatâs rightă, lots and lots of leaves. Always, poop, you always need it for poop.â
While Refaa says such a thing, the big leaves are lifted to her head, shaking it round the leaves begin to fall, she runs around while her chestnut hair flows.
âAlready, Refaa, what is with the poop? Donât say such rude things! Mou.â
Poop. I pee, but I donât poop.
It is not the talk of an idol, itâs the truth. I wondered when I was living underground, what happens in my stomach and bowels.
I think itâs thanks to merging with .
Either way, according to that explanation, all the food, is it digested and absorbed in the stomach or the bowels?
âHuahahaha, Refaa is fine, I poop a lot.â
Shisho roars with laughter.
One adult stops Refaa, Shisho looked over his shoulder with a face like a child and answered âUn.â
He also begins to wave a leaf around, I donât know whatâs that funny, bursting into laughter beginning to run.
âAlready! Even grandfather! OhâFufu, Refaaâs head is covered in leaves, itâs not safe.â
Refaa seems to have fallen down with the leaves, but sheâs fine.
âAlreadyâyouâve fallen down; a girl shouldnât do something like that?â
ââŠâŠâ
Refaa is a cheerful child.
I watch everything in silence.
So, I remember that Guidance Moji went well just before.
ââŠâŠAside from that, Shisho, I finally worked out the guidance moji Iâve been struggling with.â
âOh? Is that so. Well then, a bitâŠâŠbecause of the leaves please wait a minute here.â
After that, I wait for a little in the open space.
As Achilles-shisho returns, I started manipulating my mana.
âThen, here I go.â
âHumu.â
Immediately manipulating manaâI release mana with guidance moji.
I activate the skill and create the distorted mana hand. The maryoku hand holds the knife and swings it back and forth.
âOh wowâŠâŠâ
Achilles-shisho sighs and says so.
âShisho, what is it?â
I can see that Shisho is collecting mana in his eyes.
ââŠâŠItâs definitely guidance moji. Is this hand like thing Shuyaâs own unique guidance magic?â
âYes.â
Achilles-shisho changes the angle and stares intently at my . And, he begins to talk with wide eyes.
âIâm astonished. As you took so long to figure out guidance moji, I thought you werenât a person with talent for it, butâŠâŠ itâs amazing. This âDistorted Mana Hand.â Itâs really splendid. Surely because Shuya possesses such a vast amount of mana, itâll be guidance moji. And, in the short-term, did you say the force of the image to maintain the thick manaâŠâŠthe ability to materialize mana, you can say is a kind of âprodigy.â Come to think of it dexterity handles life magic. Iâm also good at guidance moji, to here you canât make it âone form.'â
Oh, itâs high praise. Iâm happy.
âIs that so? Thank you.â
âWe talked about guidance magic weapons some time ago, itâs possible if itâs Shuya. But, thatâs a talk for the future. Now is to choose the weapon for your original guidance magic. The knife in addition to the long sword, club, spear, and Iâll inspect how much weight you can hold, you should advance with matching your spear-fighting in mind.â (Note: Achilles keeps calling it guidance magic even though itâs moji.)
âOkay, Iâll try various things.â
When Shisho pulls the short sword from his waste, and after moving it back and forth between his hands, he grasps the short sword in his right hand, suddenly, extending with a snap, he talks while extending the sword point to me.
âAnd then Iâll say this because it is important. Even a short sword or a long sword, anything handled with guidance magic requires âactual skill mastery.â Training after this, will be using guidance magic to train âwith your own hands.â Therefore, as you can handle the spear at this point, a spear will be the best. Excepting the weapon, I think you should use your original guidance magic as much as you want, but, well, that area is Shuyaâs field of expertise. I think you should experiment with it.â
I see. Thatâs right.
âI understand. Thatâs natural. I have to train practically.â
Even if I can move a knife or sword with guidance moji, I need to be able to actually handle it, or thereâs no point.
At present my main is the spear.
However, it will be better to have a spear for , I want to have another weapon. Besides that, as Shisho said I should consider how to use the
Everything relies on the image.
ââŠâŠI see. Iâll study there.â
Then, I asked a little question.
âShisho.â
âWhat?â
âShisho uses guidance moji, but you donât use the spear for it?â
âItâs a little different in my case. Guidance Moji is able to deal with handling the black spear, but the way of using it by hand comes out more fitting. When I attack after floating with the guidance moji skill, in my case, most of the power is lost. Thereâs no condition for the way I use guidance moji, but in the case of the sword this doesnât happen, so I use short swords and long swords with my guidance moji.
âI see.â
So, the shining bands of Shishoâs guidance moji are only for short swords.
âBy the way, to the extent Iâm aware of, the kind of weapons and weight youâre able to have, change with the quality and completeness of the guidance moji, but this may be wrong. For the time being, while it may be so, you should keep it in the corner of your mind.â
âAlright. Quality and completenessâŠâŠâ
I need to get accustomed to using the âŠâŠ
ââŠâŠTherefore, Shuya seems to have learned an original guidance moji skill too, do we combine with the training and change to design tomorrow?â
âThe design? I understand.â
ââââ
Then, the following dayâ
The usual training finished early.
Quickly, Achilles-shisho seems to start the training with the new design.
âFrom now on weâll go on a little outing and hunt and camp-out.â
âCampingâŠâŠâ
Camping.
âUmu. Have this.â
Shisho hands me a bag.
âThis is?â
The bag which Shisho had on his waist before, the bag which bulged like a balloon.
âI think I told you before? Itâs a magic Bag.â
âThatâs so. That bag.â
It looks like a normal leather bag.
âGo to the bottom of the cliff there.â
âNya.â
Then, a black cat cuts in between Shisho and me.
âRollodinuâ
âDivine Beast-sama. As Iâm going to train with Shuya from now on, I ask you watch over my home.â
âNya? Nyaă.â
When the black cat cries so and answers, walking elegantly she extends a feeler to Achilles-shishoâs cheek.
âThis, Divine Beast-samaâŠâŠIâm able to understand.â
âShishoâŠâŠwhat did Rollo say?â
Mm? Shishoâs condition is strangeâŠâŠ
âIt was a feeling that I understood. The feeling of love was also feltâŠâŠIâm glad.â
âŠâŠShisho, Achillesâ face reddens, and he talking bashfullyâŠâŠRollo is moe moe? I ask a question while slightly perturbed.
âUh, is that so, is the livestock feed enough?â
âItâs alright. Iâve already explained the situation to everyone.â
âI see. I understand.â
Which reminds me, the clothes Achilles-shisho has been wearing since training this morning are unusual.
The leather clothes are specifically for hunting.
The leather of the jacket is dyed black. A sword is hung from a belt at the waist, four short swords and a black spear are hanging against the thigh.
Achilles-shisho lets the cord of the magic bag coil around the belt, and wraps the magic bag around his back. Like that he goes down to the bottom of the cliff.
Getting off the ladder, we advance, walking along a narrow mountain path following the ridgeline.
When I cross over it changes rugged rocky place, and a forested area is visible.
I step into the forest.
Itâs hard to walk through the thick bushes. Shisho cuts an aloe-like leaf growing nearby, and puts the leaf inside his shoe so that it will cover his shin.
âIt becomes a simple protection if I put this on. It doesnât catch on thorns.
âOkay.â
I imitate him.
When I walk through such a thicket, we encountered a herd of wild boars.
The head of the wild boars have three rows of tusks growing from the corner of their mouths, and they seem enraged.
But, the big wild boars are easily dealt with by Shisho. Theyâre easily repulsed by the fours swords and the black spear.
Achilles-shisho smiles and mutters âThe meat is just right,â while collecting meat and bones. I helped and we quickly finished collecting.
âThereâs a river ahead so weâll go there.â
Shisho says so and we go ahead, but a plant is in the wayâŠâŠ
Here there are many fern-like plants.
There are a few animal trails, and branches and leaves of the trees get in the way as we walk.
In such a situation,
âBe careful of the poisonous memento leaves.â
Iâm suddenly warned by Shisho.
Thereâs a plant with big spade-shaped leaves in front.
âHuh?â
âCarefully observe the appearance of the memento leaves. See how itâs slightly thorny? It also has poison. Your skin will burn if you touch it.â
Certainly, it looks like an ordinary big green leaf, but there are many thorns on the surface.
Seeing it this close, my curiosity comes out a little and I want to touch it a little, but at the same time I really donât want to touch it. I, of course, donât touch it.
ââŠâŠPoison is scary.â
âWell, itâs alright if I cut it. I collect it because the memento can be made into poison.â
He cuts the poisonous memento plant, and collects it, covering the leaf in leather.
He tells me âThe poison can be changed into medicine,â because even toxic things can be turned around and made useful.
Shisho walks in the thickly growing forest with the feeling of walking in a garden, smiling happily.
Turning the black spear in his hands in a little figure eight, Shisho removes the branches and leaves. The four short swords in line next to one another on the left and right, cut the leaves and branches that were missed initially by the turning black spear.
A large path in cut by ShishoâŠâŠplunging in like a lawnmower, Shisho is amazing after all.
Walking in high spirits on the wet dead leaves, the walking pace is too much for an old person.
âThis is training too. Be aware of the figure eight movement of the black spear in your head. Iâm aware of the leaves and stems involved. I know that Shuya used it in the last fight. You seem to have learned it a little, but itâs inadequate. This spear skill is simple, but in the future, always, itâll be your power.â
âYesââ
I see, this is training too. The training method is different, but I remember the remake of the masterpiece movie, Karate Kid.
The movement of Shishoâs black spear surely swallows up the leaves and stems.
I also cut the grass with my black spear, aware of the strong figure eight movement. Cutting so that the branches and obstructive leaves and gotten.
In that way we advance for a while until I hear the sound of a flowing river.
âI hear something. Itâs close.â
The topography of layers of sheet rock appear as we approach the river.
The sound of water is loud; it seems the river is a fast flowing rapids.
When I look down from a protruding rock, I confirm that the water is flowing vigorously in the space between rocks.
âUhyu, itâs cold.
Spray flies and my face gets wet. A river with such a fast flowing current leads continuing down and down.
Visible from the gentle incline, it seems unrelated to the river. It seems fun to go down in a canoe.
âThis is clean water close to the source flowing out of Mt. Maheim. Itâs tasty. And then, it crosses to land on the other side of the forest, itâs todayâs planned camping-out site.â
Shisho points a finger at the opposite bank while talking.
The opposite bank bristles with trees in darkness, looking even higher.
âOver there?â
âThatâs right. Letâs goââ
Shisho jumps on some small rocks in the river, and crosses the river jumping and hopping.
I jump again and againâ
Making use of the scattered big rocks. I crossed the river using such rocks.
Ho. I finish crossing the river safely.
And, I look at the big tree growing around me. The dark trees I looked at before crossing the river. One, one is a big giant treeâŠâŠ
Thenâ
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