The cool wind of dawn brushes against my lying visage, warmness caresses my body, and a refreshing scent of an iris-like flower drifts in the air. A new morning has started, and a new day has just begun.
Reflectively, light seeks its way to all corners of the world. Brightening the ward.
A faint chord of nuns can be heard as I wake up, realizing that I am still in the church of The Sun. A weird sense of calmness washed over me.
Today is the second day of the month of Sun, as the stand-in for summer in this world I expected the temperature to be much hotter, but I was proven wrong.
To my right, a rhythmic and charming breathing could be heard.
It was a familiar presence of Terrisa. Warmth crept up on my chest.
'Did Terrisa decide to stay behind… I wonder how the kids are doing. I would assume Ema is taking care of them; she, after all, is a nun, albeit a peculiar one.'
Though she had done a foolish thing, at the end of the day it wasn't exactly her fault. But I can't help but grow more careful around Terrisa. 'She would be devastated,' I thought.
'I should… give her a chance at least…"
After parting ways with my siblings yesterday, my mind has had time to cope with the entire situation. I can't help but question his seemingly malicious actions.
'Though he did save me, it is obvious that he would want to fight to the death with that monster.'
After all, what kind of person wouldn't try to help a ten-year-old with their entire body covered in injury?
'The things about my talent or whatnot are obvious bullshit; I can feel that his heart's beats were slightly irregular for a moment when he mentioned it. Is trying to find a disciple? But who would want to be his disciple after he almost kills them?'
Maybe he is just that pompous, thinking that whatever he puts someone through, he will be forgiven, or maybe this is some kind of ancient tradition that I don't know about; one or the other could be the answer.
I am too lacking in information to make a truly educated guess on this matter. But if he did decide to take me as a disciple… I'm truly tempted.
For whatever reason, throughout my years of growing up, Terrisa always tried to avoid talking about details that I inquired about. Even when I showed her my absurd maturity and unbelievable intelligence at three, she still refused to divulge any useful information.
Normally, I wouldn't have any qualms about it, but Dain, who shows remarkable intelligence that I almost thought Dain was also reincarnated like me—he isn't, Terrisa reveals most things I questioned her about to him.
Dain, of course, also keeps quiet due to Terrisa's wish, but he did mention in passing something about other continents and politics.
Of course, I know that there are definitely other continents; I'm not illiterate, but when I tried asking Terrisa about it, she shut me down almost immediately.
'Is there something special about me? Even more than Dain, excluding the fact that I'm reincarnated, what is unique about me? Being blind?'
Due to this, my desire for a teacher grows increasingly larger and larger.
'From Terrisa's words, the old man doesn't seem to be a bad person… He is also quite strong, apparently…
I am unsure of how to think about my first encounter with that old man, though the test he put me through did make me realize how wasteful I was.
If I had diligently practiced my "Mana Breathing Method" every day from when I first learned about it, I would have taken out that monster with ease, maybe two, three, or even a horde of them… maybe not.
It was my desire to fit in that when I heard Dain that humans typically awaken their archetype when they reach fifteen years or older, I decided to abandon my boons.
'I'm regretting this decision right now; there are many ifs, but those are useless when time has already passed.'
I should change now; this might be a bait, a manipulation tactic, from the old man, but I want to take the bait; I want to grow stronger. I was never a person who desired strength, but it wouldn't hurt if I learned how to defend myself in this world, especially with my head start.
'It does feel like a waste trying to live like a normal child at this point; I should take advantage of my gifts at the very least.'
I was only thirty-seven when I died; there is always room to grow when I died at such a young age.
'Goodbye, my childhood, I guess.'
With that determination in mind, I spring up excited about my upcoming training.
Consequently, I startled Terrisa awake, though I'm not sure if she was sleeping at all; her body is hard to read today.
"Good morning, Raon. What did you think about that that got you so excited that morning?"
Teresa inquired curiously, her voice gentle and caring as ever. It makes me feel guilty again; it was still partly her fault that I got hurt, but I can't help but be a little mad at her.
'… this shouldn't be something I need to think about in the morning.'
"M-Mo-… Terr-... Uh, Mother, I was thinking about getting stronger. I remember faintly the old man that saved me mentioned something about looking for a successor. I want to become his disciple!"
Terrisa's heart rate suddenly speeds up.
"What! Why would you want to get stronger? Is it because of yesterday? Y-You don't have to worry about it, Raon; I promised I would protect our family this time. You don't have to worry about such a silly thing!"
Terrisa panicked; she rose to her feet and held both of my shoulders; her hand was shaking intensely, but it wasn't out of anger. Her breathing grew erratic; the mere mention of me becoming that old man's disciple seemed to have terrified her.
My body's excitement deflated; it was not because of her words but because of her tone.
'She is scared.'
"Mother… you should know that I have already awakened a Mana Circuit. And I know that I can become stronger by training my circuit. I don't want to waste my advantage after all, especially after yesterday."
"I do know that, but… you are still young, Raon; you need to experience a childhood… a childhood worth remembering. Like… making friends and going out to plays, and… and…
Terrisa suddenly grasped my hand gently to caress my adolescent hand. Her hand is calloused, yes, full of warm and motherly love. Terrisa's hand reminds me of 'hers.'.
"What I want to say is that you don't need to tread this treacherous path. You still have… me, even if I am not very… strong."
Her words grew hesitant the more she spoke. She appears to feel guilty for her spoken words.
'She has her secret; I have mine.'
I am not too sure how strong Terrisa is exactly, but she should be decently strong if she came out unscathed from a meeting with Outsiders—assuming all of the other Outsiders in that sewer were as strong as mine.
Though her words have their merit, my mind has already determined. I have already experienced a relatively normal childhood, but now is not the time to experience my adolescent years again when I'm already this age.
Especially knowing that there are terrifying monsters lurking just below our feet is not a reassurance that I need to be convinced to live a normal childhood again.
And in some way, my new siblings and Terrisa have already become a part of my family. The struggle to acknowledge my new family is enormous, but as long as they are by my side until the end, they are my family. I will protect my loved one this time.
"But I don't want to waste my potential! If I know I can protect those who are dear to me, if I had just trained harder for one day, how could I be content with myself!"
My hand moves up to her shoulder; due to our height differences, I need to tiptoe a bit to see her eye to eye.
"You—you are awfully mature for your age, Raon."
Terrisa has become somewhat suspicious of my bearing, though right now I couldn't care less; my reincarnation is top secret, but I now learned that restricting myself to being a normal child living in a dilapidated orphanage is not something I can do for the next ten years.
"I won't try to convince you to let me put myself in danger, but I at least want you to know that I am putting myself in danger."
"That isn't very reassuring, Raon, dear… Can we think about this decision when we come back to our home? How about this: I will buy any food you want on the way home, okay?"
Terrisa desperately delays the inevitable.
Nut I ignored her plea, and a tinge of guilt crept up. But I need to make my stand clear.
"Mother, do you know where the old man is? I need to talk to him."
Terrisa stood unable to decide her next action. She is contemplating in deep thought. Some time ago her hands had stopped caressing my hands, and she sat down on the ward's bed. I also sat down from my previous position.
I patiently waited for her; while I haven't articulated it very well, I hope that some part of my words affected her to some extent.
I still have my animosity for the old man's actions. But I can somewhat forgive him as I'm not dead yet.
'It is indeed quite crazy; if this were Earth, I would have already gotten sent to a mental hospital. Forgive someone for almost killing me for a 'test' is at the end of the ridiculous, but I don't have to forgive him right now.'
"…Okay, I will take you to the old man…By the way, his name is Luben; you can call him Mr. Luben instead of the old man."
I will pretend to not hear that; besides, it's not like Terrisa calls him Mr. Luben anyway. And I'm not amicable enough to call him such respect; I was petty, to say the least.
"But first let us get something to eat, shall we? The bread we received from the church yesterday is still fresh."
"Okay."
Write the bread… With so much on my mind due to what happened yesterday, my mind momentarily forgot our initial purpose for going into the city. Growing up a second time, having to eat hard bread and old soup or porridge definitely made me crave those steamed buns that I often ate when I was still on Earth.
***
After a hearty meal with somewhat cold bread, reheated soup, and some leftover meat from the last day, it seems like Ethan's wish come true.
Terrisa started to walk me toward the location of the old man. Hand in hand, she and I strolled the city, overlooking our previous awkwardness.
Though I worried about the kids at home without the supervision of an adult, I heard that Ema is currently off duty and now taking care of them while Terrisa is away.
'Hah, one less worry, I guess. Ema should be reliable enough; if anything, I believe Ema was begging to take care of the kid.'
She is quite lazy despite being praised as one of the most devoted priestesses.
From the cheerful noise all around me, I figured last night was a memorable moment for the citizens. Sadly, our orphanage always runs low on funds, and Terrisa's occasional commission doesn't seem to pay much.
'Maybe I could make money when I am stronger.'
It is logical to think that there's a job solely to exterminate the Outsiders, so if I could grow stronger and become an Adventurer or a Knight, maybe I could help out with the orphanage's financial situation.
'Then we could help more unfortunate children.'
It is only now that I realize the ramifications my pursuit of strength could have; I was, after all, not a power-hungry person at heart and lived out a modest life in my previous life. I've never considered all these things.
In this world where there is magic and fantastical aspects everywhere, I have underestimated the importance of growing as strong as possible.
'I'm still only ten years old; there's still time to mend my mistake.'
Waking me up from my stupor was the loud vibration of a carriage pulling by horses—at least I think they are horses.
"Make way! Make way! Baron Dubern is coming through!"
As the capital of Ignis, traffic here can be described as horrific for pedestrians. With the constantly busy road, it is no wonder many people prefer not to walk but instead use the new bicycle device made by a magician from the Tower.
'We are the odd ones out, huh.'
Letting out a stifled chuckle, I enjoy the disharmony of the capital street.
'So, this is the capital city of the Ignis Kingdom, Ragon.'
I've also noticed an improvement in my mana control after strolling around the pavement of the city. I can now restrain my senses much better than before; my hearing has now returned to the normal sensitivity before I died, maybe a bit lower.
So a crowded place is more bearable now.
Even though the city still contains extreme vibrations of noisy pedestrians and adventurers. It is not something I have to concern myself about anymore.
Suddenly, Terrisa whispered next to me, minding my enhanced hearing.
"Raon, do you want to have some snacks?"
"Huh? I'm fine; we should save the money for more important things."
"Well, I could afford some cheap snacks; you can consider it compensation—I mean a gift."
I do want to eat something different from the usual breads, porridge, occasional veggie, and rabbit meat the children gain from foraging with Terrisa.
But I don't want to be wasteful.
"It's fine, Mother. Besides, it's fun to hunt your food."
I smiled; it was an innocent smile of a child full of wonder. I do indeed like hunting; it makes me feel like my blindness is no longer a disability but a boon for my other senses. Also, the feeling of accomplishment is quite good.
"I—fine."
Suddenly I thought of an idea.
"Next time we go hunting, could we go hunt something bigger?"
"What! It's dangerous!"
It wouldn't be Terrisa knowing that, but she can justify letting such a young child in danger again. Besides, she isn't allowed to help them even if she wants to.
"Mother, I am stronger than Ethan and Ruben combined, and Dain doesn't like to hunt; Stella is younger than me. I should be more capable of hunting something bigger than a rabbit!"
"Fine, but first you have to complete the old man training."
"Isn't that too excessive?"
I am confident that I could go one-on-one with a bear back on Earth right now; I am not sure how strong the wildlife in this world is since the rabbits in both worlds seem similar in physical capabilities.
"You won't be hunting like your siblings but true hunting. If you want something bigger than a rabbit, I want you to have a decent degree in training before putting you in danger again. That's the least I can allow as your mother."
That makes sense. But what does she mean by 'true hunting'?
"We're here."
"Huh?"
Surprise, I gasped. This place, sound, no, this place is a casino. I perchance came across some casinos in my past life, so the sound of money dripping from a gambler's pocket is not something I am unfamiliar with.
"Where… are we, Mother?"
"Uh… this place is called a casino. Remember the sound of this place clearly; if you become his disciple, you will need to come to this place often."
'So, the old man is a gambling addict. How surprising.'
"Hey! Stop right there! No beggars are allowed in the vicinity of this casino. Don't you know where this place is, young miss?"
The man's voice is intimidating yet shows a hint of concern.
"Oh, don't worry about it; I'm just here for an addict."
"Then tell me that person's name, and we will help you get the addict out. I'm sorry for your circumstances."
Quite considerate, I honestly don't expect such politeness from someone who works at a casino. I always have the impression that they are ex-criminals and extremely aggressive; maybe I have watched too many mafia movies.
"Haha. Just yell out, Mr. Luben is fine; I'm sure he will respond."
Terrisa laughed off the guardsman; he had mistaken Terrisa as a young bride who was here to get her husband off his gambling tendency with her child. Both were wearing rags.
'Our clothing also supported those images."
"Ok, then please wait here, miss."
I stayed silent for a while. Before long I hear someone storm out of the establishment; his vibrations and walking pattern are similar to the old man's.
"Tsk, I almost won. Why did you call me out here? Is it because of little Raon here?"
Irritated by his 'eventual' victory, the old man grows slightly more aggressive than normal.
"Yes. He insists on becoming your disciple."
"How? Really? I thought he would be scared of me, or resent it because he's too young to realize right and wrong."
It seems like even the old man was baffled; it would be quite weird if I were a normal kid, but I can forgive grudges for benefits.
"No, I've considered it thoroughly; I want you to train me! Please take me as your disciple."
I bend my back ninety degrees and bow, showing my respect.
"Where did this kid even learn how to bow? This kiddo keeps exceeding the norms. Hah… I am looking for exactly that. What about you, Terrisa? Do you want me to be his master and mentor? You are his guardian after all."
"Though I don't like this arrangement, I know that you are more than qualified to be Raon's master."
"Well, you aren't shabby either. Why don't you train him yourself?"
A deafening silence ensues after the old man's sentence is complete.
"..."
'Huh? Was there something wrong with that sentence… It's teaching her reverse scale?'
"…"
"My mistake; I will take care of Raon."
"Does it mean I am now your disciple?"
"Yes, I know that our first impression isn't the best I could offer, but as your master and mentor, preparing you for the future is my priority."
Was that 'test' meant to help me prepare for the future?... it is indeed quite effective.
"This is quite sudden, but what did you see in me that you would want to test me and make me your disciple?"
"Nothing in particular; you could just say that fate pulled us together, and that wouldn't be that far off."
"I see."
So, it was on a whim… Am I safe?
"Don't worry; at best, you will only be half-dead under my tutelage. Ow."
Terrisa swings her fist at the old man and lands it somewhere near his abdomen.
"Hoho, I can guarantee your safety; you wouldn't even notice a falling strand of hair in my training."
"That's... reassuring."
It is a pick-your-poison situation, but you only have one poison to pick from.
'I've already steeled myself; no matter what, I want to get stronger. This world has too much uncertainty for me to lie low for the rest of my life.'
Beast living below the sewer, personal strength exceeding Earth's comprehension, magical energy, magic that helps heal grievous wounds. All of this is the reason I need to change my mindset in tackling this world.
'Though, I am also scared. My first battle with the Outsider has left a scar in my mind, but I mustn't let it consume me.'
'Hah… this world, this circumstance is quite rocky, but I can manage at least.'
For my sake, for my family's sake, for the sake of getting stronger, to help other children, to fulfill her wish, at that moment after ten years in this new world. I began my training as a swordsman.
"Shall we begin right away? The day is still long."
"Indeed."
The sun heated my side, warming up my body with its resplendent.
"I'm ready."