"So did you find anything special today?"
"Yes! I found this beautiful flower that looked to be made of crystals!"
"Oh? So a magic flower? I didn't think we could find a Mana-rich area near here. Perhaps it is a natural formation?" Adeline spoke with an absent look on her face.
Although there was plenty of Mages and magical things in this world, it wasn't very common as it required a Mana-rich environment to start. What was more common was the knight profession as all that was required to start was a vigorous body and some animals to hunt.
The family lived in a forest in an area that was named as 'new land' because of the lack of human habitation. It had been more or less ignored by rulers as there was nothing special about the area besides the fertile soil. Yet despite the fertile soil it wasn't developed because the rulers were focused on fighting over claims of Mana-rich areas.
The land had so little Mana that there weren't even any extremely dangerous Mana Beasts. There were only weaker Carnage Beasts. Still, these beasts made the land more dangerous and harder for the average peasant to settle.
It was only now when a famine spread across the land did the ruler of the kingdom stepped forward and tried to develop the land. The land was mountainous and rocky with very few flat plains which made it hard to start large-scale farming that the kingdom wanted from investments.
Because of the difficulty of starting a good farm, the kingdom started a policy to give land to whoever settled down. This would not only help bring more food to the kingdom but also allow the officials to shake off responsibility for their starving subjects.
Edmund was a small soldier who after leaving the military to start his family decided to move here with his newly pregnant wife, Adeline. While laying claim he was even able to convince some officials that he should take a larger patch of land since he was going to stay in a horrible area.
The area was full of rocks and very mountainous. The only good thing was a river that ran through the area he showed. The officials simply thought Edmund was being too greedy and simply gave it to him after a preliminary inspection of the area. Since they didn't care they didn't investigate very well letting him get a great area and a large patch of land around.
The area didn't only have a single river, but many different rivers all around the mountains. Sure the area was still terrible for a large farm, but with a little ingenuity, he was able to start fifty different farms all around his house. This made it more difficult to care for all of them, but it was still a great plan.
After three years he was able to earn a decent amount. This wouldn't have been so possible if not for his children who kept bringing food back. Originally he was worried if he even made the right choice and worried about feeding his children. But after seeing them bring so much different food back, he was able to focus on farming without worrying about not having enough strength.
Taking care of so many different farms that were far away was hard as he needed to walk twenty miles to take care of them all. Still, he split it into North and South farms with his focus shifting two days. This allowed him to care for all farms without too much worry.
It was also because of the amount of food the twins brought back that Edmund allowed them to play however they wanted. Normally parents would need their children to help them with chores, but since they were basically bringing another form of income to the family.
"You know, now that I think of it you are already three years old and are about to become big kids." Adeline paused before rubbing her swollen stomach, "In a few more years you will need to take the magic exam. You can't just spend all day in the forest, and if you are talented enough you could go to school. If that happens, we can't have you act so spontaneously."
At the age of six children can take what is called the magic exam. Although it is called an exam, it is just a small writing test to see if you know how to read and write along with a Mana compatibility test.
"NO!" The twins shouted at the same time hearing they would go somewhere else other than the forest they loved.
Adeline looked at her children and spoke as if she was scolding them, "It is an honor to attend such a prestigious academy! If things go well we won't have to worry about eating!"
"We already don't have to worry about eating!" Lily shouted at her mother.
"Yeah, and what can be better than the forest!" Ambrose spoke up protecting his sister.
Knowing she couldn't really punish her children she loved so much, she spoke while wagging her finger, "Well, for now, we will take you to town. Edmund needs to sell this year's harvest anyway."
"But mo~om isn't the forest the best place? Why do we have to go to town?" Ambrose spoke while frowning. Lily backed him up as she nodded her little head.
***
The twins had already spoken many times and knew that Ambrose was B28 and Lily was B34. The pair made sure to keep their past memories hidden from their parents. After all, what could they say? The only thing they knew was the hospital that experimented on them. Any other knowledge was simply from different books.
The only thing that this knowledge brought was them closer to each other. Considering this, the twins ignored their past memories and only focused on what they loved. Plants.
Both Ambrose and Lily had learned to read and write thanks to their mother's book. This book had been gifted to her at her wedding and it taught all about the reading and writing system.
After learning to to read and write, the pair had made their own journals which acted more like a log of all the plants that could be found around their house. Ambrose had also worked on farm designs as well as a map of the surroundings. Lily on the other hand worked on crossbreeding experimentation with the goal of making even better plants!