"Haaa!"
The sound of a kid shout echoed as he swing his axe down. The little cottage in the edge of Eisbern village which bordering to Arma great forest as lively as usual in the early morning. The sweat trickling down his forehead before he swipe it with his cloth's sleeve. Proudly look at the very well cut lumbers piled up around.
"Ok, im done here, time to go to the mr. Wick's shop~" the boy said in happy singing tune as he walk over to get his brown hooded cloak and start fill the cart with his lumbers, he move with casual ease as if ingrained in his physical reflex. Its no surprise as its been something he does for a living for several years.
After finished lodging, the boy who only look like in his twelve years old pat the horse, before sat on the driver seat and take the reign for new journey.
The centre of Einsbern village is one hour distant from the little cottage where the boy living. The road mainly a tiny pathways which only can be crossed by one carriage. between the forested tree and the rocky road the boy manuevering it expertly as what his adopted parents teach him.
Once he arrived in his designated shops, the boy stop his cart and park it on nearby grass field and tied the horse's handle on the wooden fence. The cloaked kid open the door with refreshing jingle of the bell echoed as he enter the establishment.
"Oldman wick, i've come!" the boy cheerfully said as he plopped at the chair near the seller counter. his curious eyes darted between new products shown up on the store's shelf. As the owner of the shop sneak appear from the room behind the counter and ruffles the boy's head which make the said kid yelped in surprise.
"Its been a while, little Harold, Dahahaha-" the man boisterous laugh echoed on the room, contrasted with the boy displeased pout look.
"What while, i just visited your place three days ago" the boy snarkily reply granting another laugh from the shop owner.
Mr. Wick showing amused face as he look over the hooded child. Its been few years since his good friend Albert the previous lumberjack ask him to be godfather for the abandoned baby that Albert and his wife adopted. The boy is a special existence in the shop owner eyes. A kid with wisdom beyond his age, a freakishly strong sturdy body and cool reserved personality that he only see from rich merchants, Knights, or Nobles. with sudden burst of childishness time to time like this time when he pout (Harold : its a glare damn it-).
If the boy ain't so stubborn to stay in his deceased parent's cottage, Wick's would have immediately adopt the kid and bring him to live as his son. But alas, the kid's choice for his own life.
"I know you have abnormal strength and accelerated healing, doesn't mean i haven't been worried about you, brat. Im still am your Godfather" Mr. Wick added as he prepared for the payment for lastest sold lumbers fee.
He already see for himself how magical and strong the kid is compared to him, proofed by the preserved wolf head hanging in the shop's wall which are gifted to him by the kid and how fast the kid recover from the wounds when wick's visited the kid's cottage.
He also pretty sure the lack of bandits in the area lately are probably because of the boy existence, noticing how many wounds scattered in that tiny yet strong body was heart breaking to adult like Wick.
Even if the said boy also forbide him to tell other peoples about his 'cleaning' charity side job.
"I can take care of my self, you on the other hand need to find a wife soon before you get more wrinkle" Harold counter with the same neutral bored tone.
Wick then sighed. Its not use to clash head to head with this brick headed little fellow. His merchant head ain't as sturdy as the kid, and will ended up beaten by the kid's blunt prickly venomous replies. His heart would never ready for that, he is still in the early 30 years old, not wrinkle yet.
The kid's jumps down from the high stool chair he sit on.
"I want some new books, food seasoning, some plant seed and breads for 3 days alongside the payment, i'll bring the lumbers to the storage ok?" harold said casually as he walk to the front door and out.
Wick can only shake his head and deduct the payment and changed it with the goods that his godson request.
on the outside of the shop, the young boy pick the lumbers up and start moving the goods to the storage in wick's shop backyard. its take him for a while to finished unload his products.
The boy sighed as he look at his hand. he missed the past. not of this life time, but from his past life on earth. Yes, Harold the young lumberjack is a reincarnatee-
The young boy missed the internet, the random mob life with only sitting and do online jobs, and not all these hardwork and sweaty muscle piled up for him even if he can't refute that he is slowly get used on the normal life as a lumberjack.
He doubt that he can go back to earth at this point either, he doesn't have ultimate cheat or systems like the one he read on light novels. he only have the abnormal strength, a light accelerated heal that can get rid of small wounds but not enough to instantly heal deep wounds, and those with the cost of drained energy that he usually use to ward off his cottage from beast, sometimes he accidentally found and autodidacally research with lots of trial errors since young.
Which is weird since he is supposed to be just some random civilian baby that is abandoned on Arma Great forest.
He also heard the existence of mages, the only being that can circulate energy and mana, but the knowledge and resources to be mages are more tightly secured on the nobles societies and their followers. A normal citizen usually can't used magic because of low energies tho once a year someone from nobilities will come to the village for magic testing and adopt if any of Villager luckily manage to awaken their magic core, and Harold have no interest to get involved in those propagandas and possible brainwashing route.
After finished his task, Harold then collect his payment from old Wick before start his journey back to the cottage. the rumours he get from old wick are making him feeling uneasy.
Apparently theres a rumour that theres gonna be soon a clash between this Starlight Empire with the Neighbouring Countries, Kingdom of Moria form the west and Xentis dinasty on the East. Starlight Empire is the one stuck in the middle, Harold can't help but getting headache on the upcoming problems.
Especially since Einsbern village and Arma Great forest are the foreline border between Starlight Empire and Moria Kingdom.
He decide that he need to prepare a bunker underground, tho its still in planning. either that or take over a cave, but he need to take down the king bear which reside there deep.in the forest mountain range.
In case the neigbouring country do try to attack, at least he need to save himself and if can old Wick too, that much is what Harold owe to the old shop owner for keeping him in company despite the reincarnatee paranoia.
The key to stay alive that he adopt in this medieval fantasy setting is how to not get noticed. Harold is well aware that his appearance in this life time already a burden, with young pretty boy face, smooth clear skin despite all the heavy tough job he did, deep violet eyes that is clear shine with intelligent and silver hair that is totally unlike his deceased parent in this life time whose have both brown hairs. The bright silver hairs is strangely similar to that of one noble family in the book that Old wick gifted him, the Grand Duke family the 'Goldrich' which is known as prime ministers and their beautiful silver hairs.
Knowing life will mess with him one way or another, and sheer paranoia, Harold take the most worst case scenario hypotesis of possibility that he is the Duke's family illegitimate son, as the first thing he remember is a young woman wearing maid outfit hide him on the tree before get killed by the knight that send to her with them bagging the poor woman corpse on a sack.
which make the baby with brain of adult facepalmed and enraged internally at his unlucky life. thankfully the couple of lumberjack found him few hours after, saved him from get eaten by random beast .
Harold already try to make makeshift hair dye from the coffee beans to make his hair brown and book manual as his guide but its simple not work out permanently as he lack ingredients. his dyed brown hair only lasted for few days before need to be recoloured.
No way in hell he let himself get noticed and hunted by scum noble family that abandon him, nope-
He is pretty sure he will try his best to be a mob in this life time- no dramatic dangerous backstabbing noble societies, yeah nope-
But still he can't help feel dreaded at his bleak future.