My father quietly narrated the story.
His voice is full of affection. Filled with a resolve to keep me safe no matter what.
This was when I realized. Way late yet not too late.
(These people protected me.)
I had been thinking nothing but 'me' all this time. I never even seriously considered myself as a 'child' of these two.
I'm a fool... There was no grown up inside.
I was the only one who thought... I'm a lost desperate kid abandoned in an unknown land.
I did not notice how they protected and loved me all this time.
"Thank you, dad, mom..."
Tears were flooding before I noticed.
We finally became a [Family] at this point.
Seeing me shedding tears, father clutched his fists as if enduring something while mother started sobbing herself.
But not everything has been told. What are these conditions.
I stopped my tears and straightened myself to resume listening.
"There are several conditions. Those are..."
I'm not allowed to walk around in the village as to prevent me affecting other villagers.
This condition is effective until I turn 6.
I can only help working at our home field. I'm not allowed to participate in village events.
Once I'm of a suitable age, I can hunt in the forest.
I'm not allowed to come into contact with any villagers.
On the other hand, any villager that actively seeks contact with me is responsible for their own actions.
There were several more other points of note, but the most important one came last.
"You must leave this village once you have come of age."
I accepted that.
Father must have gone out of his way to desperately obtained all those permissions. The opposing opinions must have been awfully fierce.
Even with all those conditions, the fact that he managed to get me live in the village until then is an extraordinary feat in itself.
"We plan to teach you everything you need to live on by yourself until the time you must leave."
"Forgive us for making you shoulder such hardships."
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I mean, I'm dad's and mom's son after all."
That's right, there's no way I can't do it, not when I'm so loved.
It's been made abundantly clear.
"You're right, I'm sure you'll do well. You're our kid at the end of the day."
"Yes, it took you quite a while to be able to speak, but look how well you are at it now."
Oh? What mother just said raised a doubt in my mind.
(The four kids earlier did say something about speaking well when they were 3, that was shocking.)
"Is there a reason why I couldn't speak well at first...?"
That simple question turned my parents' faces gloom.
"That's..."
After a long silence, father uttered a word with a face of resignation.
"Blessless, that may be the reason."
"Isn't it enough, dear. This kid can speak so much already..."
Mother interrupted father.
However, father continued talking with a resolute look.
"Before I get to this, earlier you asked what's Blessless, and Manaless, didn't you?"
He reaffirmed what I asked at the field.
Mother seemed to have guessed what happened with that.
"Blessless, and Manaless refer to me, don't they. Please tell me. What is a Blessless? What's a Manaless?"
I asked once again, with a strong tone this time.