Chapter 5: The Daily Life of a Five Year Old
I’m bored.
I tuck in a bookmark at random and close the thick stack of parchment – a history of the Arsis Empire.
Let’s get strong. Yes.
Five years had passed since I made up my mind to do so.
After that, I came back and realized.
How can an infant be trained?
I had no choice but to shelve my resolution and decide to improve my education.
I ask Meredy to read books for me. So I can learn this world’s language, and acquire knowledge of the world.
Fortunately, thanks to “Language Proficiency,” I was able to learn quickly.
I can understand the meaning of even unfamiliar words, and I realized how good the skill was.
Over the next few months, I grew up can read most books on my own.
The trouble was that Meredy didn’t believe me. When I was reading a book by myself, she would take it away and put it on her lap. Then try to read it to me.
It took another six months for her to be convinced.
Also, I gave up on being a child early on.
I’m old enough to speak, and the gag order was gone, but I had trouble because I’m still using childish language.
It was wise to give up on the idea of being a child if it was going to cause discomfort.
I gradually got used to my surroundings, using the techniques I had absorbed from the book.
In a few months, I would be a normal conversational infant.
I spent about four years like this, but surprisingly, there was nothing for a child to do.
I spent most of my time reading, and I reread the books in the library many times.
I don’t know how many times I read this history book.
It’s good to know what nation you belong to, though.
The predecessor of the Arsis Empire, the Kingdom of Arsis, was founded about eight hundred years ago.
The current year is 803 in the Arsis Calendar, and officially they use the number of years that the emperors ascended the throne. But it’s long enough that they beat the Kamakura Shogunate, the Mongol Empire, and Richard the Lionhearted’s England and survived unchanged until the time of his accidental death.
It is disheartening to see how long they lived, but other countries were in a similar situation.
It was more than 1,500 years ago that Veliates, which was considered a superpower, collapsed.
The Kingdom of Balmut, the avenging enemy of the Arsis Empire, was established a couple of hundred years later.
And the city-state of Ceges, to which Balmut belongs, has existed since the time of Veliates.
I had assumed that because it was a dangerous world, it had repeatedly risen and fallen.
Maybe it’s because it’s dangerous that it has a long life.
If there are too many foreign enemies, it is hard to develop a country, and if there is no development, the human domain will not expand.
It could be that they have settled down to their current sphere of influence over the years.
Well, even if the nation didn’t die out, I’m sure there are still battles with demons all over the place.
I took a glance at the thick history book and stood up, looking out from my room on the second floor.
I walked out of the main gate of the house. I saw a square, and beyond that, the main street.
If I look through the window, I can observe the stalls, stores, and people passing by.
I can’t say for sure because there is not much to compare it to, but I think it is a lively town.
Reedwald has no castle, and the lord lives in a mansion in the center of town.
First, they build a fort as a precaution against the Kingdom of Balmut, and people gathered around it to make it a town. That was four hundred years ago.
My great-grandfather, Paul, who became Baron Reedwald, had a hard time defending the fort, so he dismantled it first and used the stones to reinforce the outer walls.
And then they built the mansion on the site.
I gazed at the scene for a while, which reminded me of a European town, and then I turned on my heel.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
I left the room with my history book intact.
I walked down the dimly lit corridor and came to the stairs.
Then I heard a voice talking from downstairs.
“Oh, just in time. Fire, please.”
“You should do it yourself. Right?”
Meredy took the lantern from her colleague, opened the lid, and put her fingertips close to it.
As soon as she did, the lantern-lit up.
That is the “Flint” of life magic.
It allows you to create fire with only a tiny amount of magic power, without the use of tools such as a flint box.
It’s like carrying around a lighter without fuel.
The maid thanked her and walked away.
She’s heading for the warehouse.
The house was made of stone and had narrow windows. Some rooms needed light even in the daytime.
As I saw him off, she casually glanced around and noticed me.
“Master Alter!”
She suddenly shouted and came running up the stairs.
“You’re not going for a walk by yourself, are you? Please call out to me, I’m your companion!”
“I’m only going for a short walk in the garden. Go and do something else.”
“No! I’m your chaperone, too!”
“I see. Sometimes I wonder why my parents hired you.”
Even if you refuse, she will follow you.
In disgust, I led Meredy out into the garden.
The sweetness of spring and the freshness of deep green hit my nostrils as we rode on a light breeze.
Looking up at the sky, a thin ray of sunshine was pouring through the big clouds.
It was a beautiful day for a walk.
I walked through the garden, letting the breeze guide me.
After a while, I heard a noise coming from a corner of the house.
Without changing my expression, I turn my head in that direction.
“You’re not stepping in hard enough!”
I can hear the sound of wooden swords clashing with each other, along with a scolding.
As soon as I turned the corner, the wooden sword rolled to my feet, bouncing off the ground.
“Alter?”
“Another afternoon of training, Father?”
I brushed off the dirt and held out the wooden sword to my father.
The sword training is held in the early morning and also in the afternoon, daily.
Despite the distressed maid, I opened the status.
Name: Alter Les Reedwald
Race: Human
Level: 2
HP: 26/26 (+2)
MP: 24/24 (+9)
P. Attack: 3 (+2)
Int: 14 (+1)
Dex: 4 (+3)
End: 3+2 (+2)
Agi: 7+2 (+6)
Charm: 13 (+1)
[Skills]
Increased Growth Potential, Increased Growth Value, Status Disguise, Mental Resistance 3, Language Proficiency, Appraisal 1, One-handed Sword 1 (new), Taijutsu 1 (new)
[Magic]
None
[Titles]
Reincarnated One, Ace of the Homecoming Club (+2 durability, +2 agility), Second Son of Baron Reedwald
This is who I am now.
I’ve never had any real combat experience, so my level has only gone up by one, but my abilities have gone up all over the place, and my agility has jumped up.
What caught my attention more was the increase in magic power.
With only one level of increase, it had caught up with my physical strength.
At first, I thought it was the effect of high intelligence. But there were many people with the same level of intelligence but less magic power.
I’m not sure why, but it seems I’m suited for wizardry.
As I was looking at my status, I suddenly felt a gaze on me.
I hurriedly closed it and smiled.
My status cannot be seen by others unless I allow them to see it.
Besides, I’m the only one in the house who has an appraisal, and even if someone were to peek at it, they wouldn’t notice because it’s disguised.
With relief, I followed my gaze and saw my mother, Henriette, standing in the doorway.
Her golden hair swayed in the wind and glittered in the setting sun.
She turned thirty this year, but she still looked young enough to be in her early twenties.
My mother did not speak to me but looked at me earnestly.
I was about to ask her a question when I realized.
Oh, right, the sunset.
I was going to take a short walk, but I must have stayed too long.
I hear voices talking from another direction, and look over to them.
After the training, Roland and the three squires were heading out of the gate, while my father and brother were chatting and heading for the door.
I looked back at my mother, who nodded and moved to the base of the thickest tree in the garden.
Meredy stood behind me and quickly tucked her hands inside her apron.
A sense of tension enveloped the garden of the mansion.
My mother watches with bated breath, and Meredy has a tense expression on her face.
I close my eyelids and catch my breath.
My father and brother must have sensed something because I couldn’t hear their footsteps.
I can hear a rustling of the trees in the garden and the distant hustle and bustle.
The air shook as if to break through them.
The bell struck at 18:00.
The town of Reedewald reverberated with a profound tone.
But I don’t take my time to listen to it.
Because I was taking my first steps at the same time it started ringing.
I grabbed the grass with my heels and kicked it up with my toes.
My whole body is soft and yet never collapses.
I’m a spring now.
With a glance, a dead leaf spins around ahead of me.
The wind is blowing perpendicularly in front of the house.
My entry angle is at an angle, not a tailwind, but not bad.
Observing the movement of the dead leaves, I listened carefully and read the wind that was blowing.
Just as I stepped to the front door, a strong wind crashed against the wall of the house.
The wind created a violent whirlpool that engulfed me.
The momentum carried me past my father and brother, and I stopped on the floor of the house.
Meredy stared at the hourglass in her hand and declared.
“Two seconds...... and a half! That’s a new record!”
「二メモリ......半! 新記録です!」
“Congratulations, Alter!”
I raise my fist in the air and high-fives my mother.
I was filled with pride at the generous praise I received.
I held up the hourglass and Meredy praised me.
I thanked them both, but in my heart I disciplined myself.
A new wall.
Yes – just now, I'm the challenger again.
With determination in my heart, I thought about the battle that would begin tomorrow.
My brother walks past me with a wry smile, and my father stops.
“Don’t just play around, come on in.”
I couldn’t help but smile at him.
Is it a word of regret?
It looks like I’ve beaten the record.
I’m sorry, Father. As an adult, you are no longer able to compete with the little ones.
The record is still being pushed away.
Taste the despair. Hahaha!
For some reason, I was slapped on the head.
