Chapter 12: "Heading towards Mount Pointy."
I walk along the highway that continues at the foot of the green hills.
My destination is the tallest mountain in the distant mountain range, not yet visible from the ground.
Mount Pointy.
The sky is clear, and the wind is gentle and pleasant.
Pointy, pointy~♪
Pointy, pointy, pointy, pointy~♪
It's pointy~♪
It's pointy~♪
As I sing, a wagon approaches from behind.
When I yield the way, the driver, an older man, smiles and greets me.
"You seem to be having fun, miss. Taking a stroll after leaving the capital?"
"No, it's a journey."
"You're alone, and without any luggage?"
"I'm just going to a nearby town."
A little white lie.
"Are you heading to the town of Nemie?"
"I don't know the name, but it's somewhere ahead."
"Then it's Nemie. I'm heading back, so want a ride? It's too far for a child to walk alone to a nearby town."
I might be lucky. Everyone I've met so far has been kind.
So, I accepted the offer and hopped onto the wagon.
The man's wagon, without a roof, is filled with pottery amidst hay. He explains that he bought them in the capital and plans to sell them in the town of Nemie.
I sit at the back of the wagon, gazing at the scenery in the opposite direction of my previous journey.
The enormous capital now appears quite small, quite a distance away.
Looking up at the sky, a large bird gracefully soars.
Ah, it feels good.
Wrapped in warm air, I start feeling sleepy.
"Are you an elf, miss? Unusual hair color I don't often see around here."
"Not really, but I've been told that before. Is it uncommon?"
"It sure is. I've never seen a human with hair as blue as the sky."
"Oh, I see."
"Elves often look young, but they can be adults too. Sorry if I treated you like a child."
"I don't mind. By the way, I'm 22."
"Oh, my apologies then."
"It's okay. But do elves really have unusual hair colors?"
"The elves I've seen had shimmering green hair like young leaves."
"I see. By the way, are there dwarves around?"
"Yeah. We have a blacksmith in our town."
Classic.
"Also, a quick question... Are there bandits or wild beasts on the highway?"
"Not around here. It's peaceful."
"How about beyond this point, towards the mountain range?"
"The Zanidea Mountains? There's a big dungeon there, and there's some traffic up to the foothills. But further ahead, it's not as peaceful. If you plan to go, you'll need some escorts."
"What about deeper into the mountains? Around the area with the tallest, pointy mountain?"
"Pointy mountain, huh? Are you talking about Mount Til Dena?"
"Probably. Is it impossible to go there?"
"It is. That area is completely inhabited by monsters. No one has entered and come out alive. There are even rumors of dragons."
"Oh, dragons! They exist?"
"Just rumors. They're said to protect Mount Til Dena."
"I'd love to see them."
A real dragon.
I wonder what they're like.
In the game, I used to defeat Ancient Dragons a lot to level up my Ancient Magic proficiency.
Good times.
Ancient Dragons would be asleep when you first entered their battle area, so you could reliably hit them with Ancient Magic. I'd like to try blasting an Ancient Dragon again. It felt great.
"Oh, by the way, my name is Ku."
"I'm Odan. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."
"Ku-chan, polite language is only used by rich kids. It makes you stand out, and you might become a target. Best not to use it outside."
"Oh, really? Got it."
From now on, I'll be more careful.
"And I need a robe. With those expensive clothes, you look like easy prey even if you keep quiet."
"Odan-san, are you a kidnapper? Did I become your prey?"
"Stop with the unfunny jokes."
"Haha, sorry."
That would be too much.
I should be cautious.
"Also, I'd like a robe. With that fancy attire, you'll look like prey even if you stay silent."
"Odan-san, are you a kidnapper? Did I become your prey?"
"Stop with the unfunny jokes."
"Haha, sorry."
That would be too much.
I should be cautious.
"I was just worried because Kuu-chan looked about the same age as my daughter," Odan said.
"You have a daughter? What's she like?"
"She's a good kid, lively, cheerful, and kind to everyone."
Despite being a proud story, Odan's voice sounded very dark.
"Is something wrong?"
"She's been bedridden lately. I want to be by her side, but I can't afford not to work because medicine is expensive."
"I see..."
"Did Kuu-chan receive the blessing of the spirits?"
"Yeah."
"So, did it improve your health?"
"Yeah, it did."
"I see. If only my daughter were here... Well, I also missed the blessing, so it's the same. I envy the folks in the capital. Everyone there becomes healthy, rejoices, and revels in happiness."
Odan let out a deep sigh.
"Oh, sorry. Dark stories are no good. It dampens the spirits."
Everyone seems to be going through a tough time.
"Hey, Odan-san. Can I meet your daughter too?"
"Sure thing. My daughter will surely be delighted."
Her name is Emily, and she's apparently eight years old this year.
"I'm 11, you know? I'm quite older, you see!?"
"Didn't you say you were 22 earlier?"
"That's the age in my heart."
"Either way, as an older sister, could you talk to her or something?"
"Yeah, got it."
This is also some kind of connection.
I changed my soul slots to white magic, ancient magic, and enemy detection. Upon reflection, there probably won't be any mining points along the highway.
After that, I took a short nap.
Children's bodies tend to get sleepy quite easily.
We arrived in the town of Nemie in the evening.
The town, ruled by a baron, spread out in the flatlands between the hills, without walls or fences and no checkpoints, so we smoothly entered.
We headed towards Odan-san's house while basking in the red light of the sunset.
Soon, we arrived.
It was a small house in the suburbs.
Huh?
For some reason, people were gathered oddly.
An old lady ran towards us.
"Odan, hurry! Emily-chan's condition suddenly worsened! Even after giving her medicine, she's not getting better!"
"What did you say?!"
Dropping the wagon, Odan-san ran.
I followed him.
Neighbors had gathered, looking into the room from outside. Some children were crying.
Inside, there was a girl suffering on a bed, and her mother holding her hand.
"Emily!"
Odan-san rushed to the bed.
"What's Emily's condition!?"
"We gave her medicine, but she's not getting better..."
"No way! Emily! Pull yourself together, Emily!"
I approached and used magic on her.
"Cure Disease."
"Cure Poison."
"Remove Curse."
"Heal."
How is she doing?
If this doesn't work, I'll have to prepare for the worst and use Ancient Magic.
Oh.
Emily's complexion is rapidly improving.
It seems the magic worked.
Soon, she fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.
"It seems she's healed."
"Ah... her complexion improved all at once. Thank goodness. So happy... to be this happy... What on earth..."
"That big sister over there cast a spell to help her! I saw it!"
A boy outside shouted, and others nodded in agreement.
"Magic... was it?"
"A wizard..."
"Amazing... I've never seen it before."
"Is she an elf?"
"She's an elf."
"An elf wizard saved her!"
People outside were getting excited.
"Wait, I'm not an elf."
"An elf, you say?"
"That's right! A fairy!"
"A fairy saved Emily!"
"Whatever it is, she saved her. Thank you for saving Emily, Spirit-san!"
The old lady outside said with tears in her eyes. The children outside were also happy.
Inside, Emily's mother was hugging her, crying.
"Kuu-chan, you're a Magician, huh?"
"Well, yeah."
"How should I thank you?"
"It's okay. You've been kind to me first."
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
While talking to Odan-san, Emily woke up.
"Mom, it hurts. I'm hungry. I want sweet potatoes. What's wrong, Mom? Why are you crying?"
"No, it's nothing. I'll steam them for you right away. - Ah."
At this point, her mother noticed my presence -
"Witch-sama, thank you very much for this time! I'll sell the house to pay you, so please!"
"Please don't sell it! Instead, why don't I make something for you? It looks like she's hungry."
"Big sister, who is she? Your hair is so pretty. Is she Dad's customer?"
Emily-chan stared at me closely.
"Yeah, that's right. My name is Kuu. Nice to meet you, Emily-chan."
"Yeah, nice to meet you, Ku-chan!"
"Hey, Emily. First, say thank you. Kuu-chan is the one who saved you from being sick, you know?"
"Really?"
"Well, maybe."
I didn't want to stand out too much, so I didn't want to admit it.
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
"Hey, Kuu-chan, let's eat sweet potatoes together! They're delicious. Mom steams them for us!"
"Um..."
"I'm sorry for the humble offering, but if you'd like, please have some."
"Is it okay?"
"Oh, of course. It's nothing special, but feel free to take anything you like as a thank-you gift."
"I don't need anything."
"Odan, Emily has recovered! Let's eat outside tonight! I'll even bring out some sake!"
A neighbor shouted from outside.
"Yeah, let's do that."
"Are we all going to eat together? Yay! It's a festival!"
Emily-chan was also excited, and it turned into that kind of celebration.
The day turned into night.
Neighbors gathered in an empty lot, lit a bonfire, brought food, and made noise.
I also participated in the flow.
I didn't get any sake, but I received a lot of grilled meat. The meat was delicious, soaked in sauce.
Laughter echoed many times, making it a good feast.
"Hey, Kuu-chan, I want to use magic too! How can I learn it?"
With sparkling eyes, Emily-chan asked me, putting me in a difficult situation.
"Well, let me think... Maybe you could go to school and study?"
Set magic in the slots, level up. But I couldn't say that.
"Do you dislike school?"
"I know about it. We don't have money. The world is tough."
Hmm.
Anyway, I don't know the magic system of this world.
But come to think of it, there was a quest.
To awaken a child's magic power.
I used green magic, "Magic Power Sensing," in the game.
When I used it on an event child, I could see the dormant magic power. Pressing a button would awaken it.
I could probably do the same in this world.
Okay.
Event cleared.
"Wow, I'm glowing!"
Emily-chan's body was surrounded by yellow light for a short moment.
"Congratulations. Magic power has been born."
"Really!? Did I become a witch!?"
"Not really, sorry."
"But it was glowing! It felt warm inside my body!"
"Studying will definitely make you a magician... Well, um, I'm sorry. I don't know how to study."
"I see. But I have talent, right!?"
"Yeah."
"Kuu-chan, Emily... What was that light just now?"
"Hey, Dad, hey!"
Emily-chan told her father about our exchange with a face full of joy.
"Is it true that you're a magician? Can you become one if you study?"
"Yeah."
"That's an amazing story."
"Aren't there schools that teach you? In the capital... but we don't have money."
"Money, huh. It's tough."
"Totally."
After that, I cast "Magic Power Sensing" on everyone in the open field as requested.
I was tired.
But apart from Emily-chan, there was no one with magic power. It seems that even in this world, those with magic power are considered special.
Then came what happened next -
For the first time since coming to this world, my enemy detection responded.
The number was 11.
They were definitely coming towards me.
Probably, the opponents were human.
Should I prepare for a fight...
Magic is not easy to use here.
I shouldn't involve everyone, and I shouldn't destroy houses.
In that case, should I go for close combat?
I changed my soul slots to green magic, small sword combat skills, and confirming the difference in strength
.
Comments
Post a Comment