Chapter 37

"Ah, I see. When one's magic power is depleted, they lose consciousness."

Waking up on the bed in my room, I concluded that I had suddenly fainted.

"In other words, even a small amount of magic power is essential for humans, right?"

Thinking about it, it seems safe to assume that magic power resides in everyone.

"Even when using magic, I must stop before reaching the limit, right?"

Fainting every time after training would be very inefficient.

It seems I had been asleep for nearly half a day, and it was already evening outside.

"Big brother... you mustn't go anywhere anymore... mumble mumble"

There was a soft sensation on my stomach again.

Mira was hugging me and sleeping, just as she did in the morning.

She must have tried to take care of me but fell asleep in the process.

What a cute little sister.

Since I had slept for quite a while, my magic power had almost fully recovered.

However,

"There's no feeling of it increasing at all."

Well, it's only been once.

That's to be expected.

After that, I repeated the use of magic.

I used it up to just before complete depletion, waited for it to recover, and used it again.

And so, a week passed.

"There's still no feeling of it increasing at all."

It's only been a week, so it can't be helped.

However, I realized one critical point.

"Magic power recovers abnormally slowly."

Thanks to the blessing, my muscles repair quickly, allowing me to do continuous training.

But magic power doesn't recover with the blessing.

The recovery speed might improve with repeated use, but it's extremely inefficient.

At this rate, it would take a lifetime just to increase my magic power in the first step.

"Should I use that?"

I headed to a certain store in town.

The small shop was filled with various items.

It was an item shop.

"Hey, isn't that Aler? What brings you here today?"

The shop owner, an auntie, greeted me warmly.

We've known each other since I was a child because she lives nearby.

I've even run errands for her before.

"I came to buy Mana Potions."

Mana Potions are drinks that restore magic power.

Instead of waiting for my magic power to naturally refill, I intended to use these to efficiently increase my magic power.

"Did your father ask you to buy them?"

"No, I'm going to use them myself."

"...Aler..."

The auntie's face turned incredibly sad.

She must have misunderstood something.

Correcting her would be a hassle, so I quickly placed my order.

"I want a thousand."

For some reason, the auntie started crying.

"...So the rumors were true... Auntie is on your side... I can give you one or two, but even Auntie can't give you a thousand..."

"Don't worry, I have the money."

Mana Potions are expensive.

She must think I don't have enough money to buy a thousand.

But I had a large sum of money I earned in the City of Swords.

I could pay in full.

I calculated the cost for a thousand and placed a large amount of gold coins on the counter.

The auntie's eyes and mouth opened wide.

"This should be the exact amount. I doubt you have a thousand in stock, but I'll pay in advance."

"A, a, a..."

The auntie trembled all over and suddenly shouted.

"Aler! Stealing is wrong!? Think about how sad your parents will be!?"

She must have thought the money was stolen.

But after shouting, the auntie looked startled and said,

"Oh, I'm sorry... Auntie raised her voice... Yes, it must have been hard... Even a good child like Aler could end up delinquent..."

"I didn't steal it. And I'm not delinquent."

"Great Goddess, why such a cruel trial for this child..."

Even after correcting her, the auntie started praying to the Goddess and didn't listen at all.

It took an hour to convince her that I had earned the money myself.

Thanks to the Mana Potions, my efficiency dramatically improved.

Every time my magic power decreased, I drank one, and as soon as it recovered, I used it again.

This cycle continued.

Fortunately, my magic power was minimal, so one sip of a Mana Potion was enough to fully recover.

One day, while continuing my efforts to increase my magic power, I went to the auntie's shop to pick up newly arrived Mana Potions and returned home to find Mira arguing with someone at the door.

"Please leave. Big brother isn't here."

"But if he's not home, I'll wait. Why are you trying to drive me away?"

"Big brother won't be back for a while. He's in the City of Swords."

"That can't be. He was in the City of Swords, but he should be back here now."

"...Big brother isn't here. Please leave."

Hm?

Why is Mira lying?

I'm here.

And the person arguing with Mira.

That red hair, it's Lina.

She must have returned to our hometown too.