"HAGGH!!!"
Jaime turned to Aaron, the petite boy. His small body trembling, his chest rising up and down.
"Take it easy. No need to try so hard." Jaime spoke, he pierced the ground with the old serrated sickle.
"No, huff. I need to move faster, huff, or else I would have to work tomorrow before the banquet." He gasped, adding more strength in his grip.
"You can always ask Zach to finish it for you. That muscle head would probably even thank you." Jaime said as he looked toward Zach.
Zack was a few feet away, but behind him stood 8 large piles of wheat. The younger children were running back and forth, bringing the wheat back to the villages food safe.
"UUOOO!!" Zach roared as he ploughed through the field. Adding to the already existing piles while creating new ones.
Aaron's face twitched as he watched the boy tirelessly and relentlessly run through the field. He had to force himself not to cry in frustration as Zach did more than what he and Jamie did combined.
"It's alright. No need to compare yourself to a wild animal." Jaime patted his shoulder.
Aaron chuckled before stabbing his sickle through the ground. He then threw himself into one of the many piles of wheat, resting under the warm sun.
"Hey, Zach! Aaron asked if you could cut his part of the wheat field!?"
"Huh, What's that lazy bum doing?! He should do it himself!!"
"He said that only strong men could do this work, so he asked me to do it. But, I'm not nearly manly enough to do it. So, I thought of you. Aaron also agreed!"
"Hmph! It seems that you both have brains after all! Don't worry, I will finish it by the end of the day!"
"Really? That's awesome! Actually, do you mind doing my part too? I am way too weak to finish it."
"Hm? Haha, no way!!" He sneered
"Aw, really? I guess you were less manly than I thought. Mia would be disappointed if she learned that you weren't manly enough to do my part of the field..."
"What?! Would she?!"
"Oh, yeah. She really likes manly men, doing my part would definitely show her that you are very manly."
"Auuh...Fine! I'll do it!! But, you better tell her, alright?!"
"I promise!"
"Swear on your mother!"
"I swear on God."
"Good enough!!"
Jaime smiled in content upon reaching an agreement with the kid.
Was Zach Manipulated?...Not at all! They only agreed on a promise where the two can receive their desired benefits.
Yes, the details of their promise are a little one sided but hey, Zach agreed on them.
Jaime then took refuge within one of the piles next to Aaron.
'Warm, soft. This is nice.' Thought Jaime as his body evaporated into the pile.
***
"Hey, wake up!!"
Jaime was woken up by the sudden yell. He realized that he wasn't inside the pile anymore but rather, was now lying on top of the field's endless grass.
"Are you done already?" Jaime questioned, he noticed that the sun was beginning to lower.
Zach snorted before saying. "Of course!! I am the manliest man in the world! Now, it's your turn to do your part of the deal."
"Sure, sure. I'll do it tomorrow." Jamie lazily replied.
"No, not tomorrow. Now."
"Calm your ass hair dude. I promised you that I'd do it, but I never said when. So, I'll do it tomorrow." Jamie ended with a sly smile.
"Y-You tricked me!"
"No...I just forgot to mention it."
Zach watched as Jamie departed into Dreamland. Zach was frustrated, he was even tempted to kick him while he slept. But, he ultimately sighed and left.
Zach is an immature and brash child. But, he wasn't a bully.
A few seconds after Zach left. Jamie sat up and nodded to himself.
"Always a treasure."
Jaime chuckled. He used his infamous fake sleep move. A move that would always force his co-workers or juniors to have to wait or delay whatever question or request they needed for him in his past life.
Jaime walked toward where his father now worked at. Since he and the other men have stopped in their endeavor to kill the wolf, they have been spending their recent time to the village's agriculture.
Making use of the remaining sunlight, Jaime briskly walked to where his father worked.
***
Reginald was tending to the newly picked cabbages. They had just turned ripe and Reginald picked them at the perfect time.
"Dad." He heard a familiar voice call him from behind.
"Jaime!" Reginald was pleasantly surprised. He pulled Jaime into a hug and ruined his hair as well.
"Ah, dad you smell!" Jaime tried to free himself, but Reginald made sure he couldn't escape his grasp.
"Haha, that's what you get for skipping your duty." Reginald let him go after a while.
"Hagh, I lost my sense of smell." Jaime complained.
"Whiney brat." Reg laughed.
They snapped at each other for a bit before Reginald finally asked.
"So, why are you here?"
"What, I can't visit you?" Jaime responded
"You will always be welcomed, Jaime. Though preferable if you do it after you finish with your work." Reginald spoke.
"Hm? What are you talking about? I already finished my work."
"...You're lying."
"Nope."
"...Did you bribe the younger ones to do your work for you?" Reg looked at Jaime suspiciously.
"Of course not, I would never force someone younger than me to work for me."
"....Hugh, whatever. As long as you didn't force your responsibilities onto someone else."
"I would never!"
***
"So. Why have you come to visit me?"
Jaime stood still when he heard his father. He was composed as he slowly lifted his head and asked.
"Can you teach me how to fight?"
Reginald stared at his son before asking.
"Your mother mentioned to me that you wanted to learn how to use magic, but not anymore. Do I have that right?"
Jaime nodded.
"Are you sure?"
"I can teach you, but I only know how to fight against beasts. I don't know anything about fighting humans."
"That's fine. I want to grow stronger."
"Jaime, you. I can't guarantee that I can protect you. Hell, I can't even protect myself entirely. Fighting beasts, it's a very serious decision, one that can't be made on a whim."
"When you fought the wolf, it was already gravely injured. Luck allowed you to win, and by a slim margin. That won't happen again."
"You have to think this through. This choice can and will affect you for the rest of your life."
"I did. If it means I can become strong enough to protect both you and mom, I'll do anything." Jaime seriously said.
When Jaime was first asked why he wanted to learn magic, he only thought of it being awesome to learn.
Jaime still has that thought, but now that he knows that he can't learn it without personal connections, he had decided to focus on his physical strength.
He also made a decision. He was going to protect and provide for his family. Although it had only been a few days since he's known them, he felt the care and affection his parents felt for him, his friends and neighbors had also been kind and caring to him. He wanted to protect them.
Jaime understood that the kindness that everyone had shown him wasn't meant for 'him' but rather it was meant for the real Jamie.
He knew that, and even felt bad that he had taken the love and care that belonged to someone else for himself.
But even then, he has decided to live with them, and maybe deep down this is the only way he feels that he can repay the original Jaime with.
Reginald was surprised after hearing his answer. His expression softened a bit before showing a serious expression.
"Alright, I'll teach you."