CH 17

“Really, you’ve done something unreasonable.” (Zeol)

“Sorry……” (Nyango)

As soon as I woke up and realized that I wasn’t at home, Mr. Zeol got mad at me.

I apologized reflexively and thanks to that I understood the situation, but he could have at least said well done.

“Miguel and the others are safe, but your left eye is blinded…” (Zeol)

“Is that so……” (Nyango)

Half of my face is still covered with bandages, it is an unusual pain, and although I was half prepared for it, it was a shock to be confronted with it once again.

The loss of vision in the left eye would create a large blind spot and make it impossible to get a sense of distance.

If I had been a skilled adventurer, I would probably be able to continue my adventuring activities even if I lost sight in one eye, but with my lack of combat experience, I was not sure if I would be able to continue as an adventurer.

“Can I still become an adventurer?” (Nyango)

“There are one-eyed adventurers… but to be honest, they have it pretty tough.” (Zeol)

I was expecting words like, “Don’t worry, I’ll train you…” but I guess Mr. Zeol can’t give me hope to escape from reality.

At my age, I can choose another profession and start over and over, and there’s no reason to stick with being an adventurer.

“You’re not going to give up, are you?” (Zeol)

“Eh… how?” (Nyango)

“How many years do you think I’ve been an adventurer? How many adventurers do you think I’ve seen? How can anyone give up on their dreams that easily?” (Zeol)

“Ugh…” (Nyango)

The remaining vision of the right eye is distorted by the tears that are overflowing.

In my previous life, I died in a terrible accident and was reincarnated, and I learned that the small body of a catkin was not suitable for my wishes even in this life, but even so, I couldn’t give up on my dream of becoming an adventurer.

“If you can’t give up, go after it. You just have to start all over again.” (Zeol)

“Yes…” (Nyango)

“But for now, rest. First, heal your body, and everything will start from there.” (Zeol)

“I understand.” (Nyango)

“Oh right, keep using the Body Enhancement until you fall asleep. Your wounds will heal faster.” (Zeol)

Mr. Zeol patted me gently on the shoulder and left the room.

I thought I had slept a lot, but sleepiness soon overtook me.

Before falling asleep, I spread the magic element all over the blood vessels in my body.

I felt the pain of my wounds and bruises seem to have faded, even if only from my mind.

The room in which I was lying was also a room in the village chief’s house.

The next time I woke up, my mother in this cried a lot.

I had thought that she was not affectionate, but it seems that she was not very good at expressing her love.

“I’m sorry for worrying you.” (Nyango)

“It’s true. If Nyango had died, I would have sent that little fool, Miguel, to the other side of the world.” (Mother)

No, it’s good that you show your affection, but don’t do it in front of Miguel’s grandfather, the village chief, or in front of Miguel himself, so please stop.

“Nyango, thank you for saving Miguel’s life. Zeol told me that if you hadn’t fought, the door to the charcoal hut would have been breached and the three of them wouldn’t have survived. Thank you so much.” (Chief)

“No, I was just being reckless…” (Nyango)

“You’re so badly injured trying to save Miguel. This won’t make up for it, but if it’s okay with you, why don’t you come work at my place? You could help Mr. Zeo and it would be a great help to us.” (Chief)

If the village head would hire me, I would have no trouble making a living, but I wanted to see more of the world outside the village, but I couldn’t just shake my head.

“Let me think about it for a moment…” (Nyango)

“Well, I won’t force you to, but think about it. Miguel, say thank you too.” (Chief)

Miguel, who was waiting next to the village head, had a complicated expression on his face.

He was honestly happy that their lives were saved, but he probably didn’t like the fact that I was the one who played a leading role in saving their lives.

“Hey, you did a good job. Grandpa says he’ll give you a job that even a one-eyed man like you can do, so be thankful. …Ouch!” (Miguel)

“You stupid little brat! How dare you talk to the person who saved your life! I will have Julio disown you and throw you out of the village!” (Chief)

The village chief dropped his fist hard, and Miguel thanked me reluctantly.

Although the offer to help Mr. Zeol was tempting, I politely declined after thanking them since I would have to see Miguel every day if I were to work in the village chief’s house.

Because I had used body enhancement magic, my wounds healed faster than I expected, but my eyesight did not return.

The marks gouged out by Kobold’s claws also remained, leaving three indelible marks.

If a burly brother had a similar wound, he would probably have fought a mighty monster with his life on the line and would be in awe, but as a catkin, people would just think that I had barely escaped with my life. This totally ruined my handsome face and beautiful coat.

In the end, the village chief gave me sacks of flour, Dalles’ parents gave me potatoes, Kimball’s parents gave me honey, and I returned to my old life.

My father complained to me about why I didn’t work for the chief. I told him that I would not catch any more Forest Mouse or fish, and he quieted down.

Although I have returned to my normal life, being unable to see in my left eye is still quite an inconvenience.

I failed many times to catch Forest Mouse, which I was used to catching, because I couldn’t get a sense of distance.

The narrowing of my field of vision forced me to be more cautious when entering the mountains, and although it was not a traumatic experience, the memory of Kobold’s attack made my body tense.

I guess I will have to get used to this area gradually.

On the other hand, there are some things that are not affected much by my left eye.

[Step] is not a problem since I trained myself to be able to trigger it to the location of the foot I step forward.

[Thumbing] is not as good because I can’t get a sense of distance, but I can aim, so it should be fine.

[Shield] is less precise in where they are deployed, but they are still as strong as ever, and I was able to equip [Armor] without any problems.

In hindsight, if I had been able to deactivate [Armor] and deploy [Shield] when I was hit by the Kobold’s blow, I might not have had to lose my sight.

When Kimball threw a stone at me, I was able to deploy [Shield] as quickly as I could, but I was probably too distracted by the attack on Kobold, who was scratching at the door, to react.

As well as improving the accuracy and deployment speed of the magic I had learned so far, I also wanted to learn a new kind of magic.

That is detection magic.

What I feel when I use void magic is a sensory connection with the objects I create.

For example, when I pierce a fish with a spear, with an ordinary spear, I feel the sensation in my hand, but with a spear made of void magic, I can feel the tip of the spear as it pierces the fish.

Although I cannot feel the heat, cold, or even pain, it feels as if I am directly touching it with my hand.

I am considering the possibility of using this characteristic to create magic that would allow me to probe situations in places I cannot see.

Specific methods are still under consideration, but for example, small granular objects could be moved in a row at narrow intervals to probe the shape of objects through the sensation of touch, or a thin membrane could be used to detect sound through vibration.

Ultimately, I hope to make it possible to capture images so that they can be used to compensate for the blind spot in the left eye or used in combination with sound detection to probe the enemy’s situation.

I would also like to be able to use Body Enhancement magic in combination with attribute magic, so I was considering partial enhancement.

However, the efficiency of taking magic elements into the body is also a factor in combining it with attribute magic, and I need to increase the amount of magical power that can be used anyway.

When I registered at the Adventurer’s Guild in Ibouro, I was given a magic index of 32, about one-fourth that of the average adult man.

I have been training in magic every day for more than half a year since then, and my magic index must have improved, but there are no guilds in Atsuka village, let alone magic tools that can be used to determine my magic index.

I would like to go to the town of Ibouro to measure it, but I feel that if I have not grown as much as I thought I would, I might lose my desire to become an adventurer.

Above all, the thought of not being at all close to Horacio, who at the time of the Nest Leaving Ceremony had a magic index nearly 15 times greater than mine… This does not inspire me to go to the city.

“Horacio, I wonder if you’re doing well…” (Nyango)

According to Mr. Zeol’s story, there is an exam every year at the knight training school to screen out the candidates.

The first time the school will be trimming is next spring, and usually, they are not allowed to return to their home until they have completed three years of training.

If they return before that time, their path to knighthood will be cut off, and it is said that only a quarter of all knight candidates become apprentices after completing the five-year training period, and less than one-tenth of all knight apprentices are officially knighted.

However, it is said that even if the path to knighthood is cut off, there is still a path for a professional soldier.

The difference between a knight and a professional soldier is whether or they are allowed to have a mount, but there is also a big difference in the salary paid by the kingdom.

Well, I don’t want to live the rich life, nor do I want to experience the world of a straight-laced knight.

I just want to enjoy the life of a carefree adventurer.

“To do that, I only need to train… While using Body Enhancement, [Step]!” (Nyango)

I’m not sure if the people around me know, but today I continue to walk the path to becoming an adventurer, using magic.