That was roughly equivalent to about two thousand yen in Japanese currency.
I nodded silently, and the traveler extended his feet toward me.
“I’ve been walking nonstop. Ended up with some popped blisters, and honestly, my feet are just exhausted,” he explained.
Without a word, I cast a basic healing spell on his feet. Right before his eyes, the burst blisters healed seamlessly, the skin stitching itself back together in an instant.
“Thanks,” he said, satisfied, as he dropped the copper coins and stood up to leave.
My little setup here was simple: an impromptu healing stand. In a bustling post town like this one, my most frequent clients were tired couriers and worn-out traveling merchants. This highway was always buzzing, and business never ran dry—there was always someone in need of help. Demand was constant, especially since I charged less than half the usual price, so I barely had a moment’s rest between customers.
My feverish MP growth was still going strong, but simply spamming spells until I ran dry felt pointless and dull. Plus, it wasn’t completely unheard of for a kid my age to be capable of basic healing spells, if they happened to be a professional mage.
Of course, no one else could cast as many healing spells in a row as I. That was why I made a habit of roaming from one town to the next, healing just enough people to avoid drawing suspicion, all while steadily burning through my MP and earning some pocket money on the side. Incidentally, the money I had saved over the past six months—which I’d stashed safely back in the mountains—amounted to the equivalent of about ten million yen.
That alone should give a clear picture of just how off-the-charts my MP reserves truly were. The market price for healing magic wasn’t random; it was determined by real supply and demand. And since I was working way outside the usual boundaries, I could pull in money at a crazy fast rate.
Even with all that, I was still pretty far from hitting my financial goal. But there was no need to rush. I simply kept at it, steadily getting stronger day by day while my MP kept growing.
As I made my rounds through various post towns, evening finally fell.
When I glanced at my status plate, I noticed that all the running around had boosted my Physical Enhancement skill up to Level 5.
Pumping my fist with a silent “All right,” I packed up my mat and started the journey home. I cut through the great forest from its far side, retracing my path back to the mountain behind our home. Once there, I dug up the buried jar where I stashed my earnings and tossed in the coins I had made today.
After that, I crossed the back mountain and came out onto the dirt road between the rice fields.
That’s when I bumped into Cordelia again.
She stood there, cheeks puffed out, giving me the silent treatment.
“What’s wrong, Cordelia?” I asked.
She said nothing and just kept glaring.
“I said: What’s wrong, Cordelia?” I tried again.
In response, she dramatically turned her head away with a huff.
“… mon,” she muttered under her breath.
“You’re mumbling. I can’t hear you,” I said, narrowing my eyes.
“Th-This morning… you said you’d never talk to me again…” she finally spat out, her voice tiny and trembling.
Oh boy… What a pain… I thought, suppressing a sigh.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a small package and held it out to her.
“Here. A souvenir.”
“Huh?” Cordelia blinked, confused.
She slowly unwrapped the package. Inside was a white bread sandwich stuffed with bacon, lettuce, and cheese.
“It’s a sandwich,” I explained. “It’s made with white bread. You like this kind of stuff, right?”
For poor farming families like ours, our usual bread was the dark, dense, and barely edible kind. Soft, fluffy, white bread felt like a rare luxury we hardly ever tasted.
That black bread we usually ate was so tough it needed to be soaked in soup just to be edible. It was completely unlike the bread I knew from Japan. That soft and fluffy kind, white bread, was something I’d had regularly. But it was a true luxury here, enjoyed only on special occasions.
Funnily enough, white bread was also one of Cordelia’s absolute favorite treats. After a brief silence, she finally broke into a wide, delighted smile.
“Eat it. Right here, right now,” I said, a little worried about the fallout. If she took something like this back home and mentioned I gave it to her, it could stir up all sorts of awkward questions. My parents, after all, still thought I was just a regular four-year-old.
Cordelia nodded eagerly, then started devouring the sandwich with remarkable speed. Once she’d finished, she faced me and offered her right hand, showing that she wanted to hold hands.
Man, what a hassle, I thought, yet I still extended my hand and took hers. Side by side, we began walking back toward the village.
“Hey, hey, Ryuto?” she chirped.
“Hm?”
“Today, right? Today, my mom said—”
“Hey,” I interrupted.
“What?”
“Weren’t you just saying you’d never speak to me again?” I pointed out.
Cordelia answered with the brightest, most innocent smile one could imagine, as she declared, “You know what that’s called?”
“Huh?”
“It’s called a tactical retreat!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that one.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.”
Just like that, the two of us, hand in hand, made our way home.
The gentle warmth of spring filled the air. In the endlessly blue sky, puffs of cottony clouds drifted here and there. Cordelia and I were walking along the grassy paths that bordered the lush, fragrant fields.
“Hey, hey, Ryuto? You excited?” Cordelia chirped, her voice buzzing with endless energy.
She was already five years old now, on the verge of receiving the Hero’s Divine Prophecy. Her silky red hair cascaded down her back, and her translucent white skin gave her an almost ethereal beauty. Her features were so perfectly carved, she looked like a living Western doll. But five years old was still five years old. No matter how stunning her looks, an undeniable innocence clung to her—plus that hint of silliness from the gap where her baby tooth had fallen out.
“Hey, hey? I asked if you’re excited!” she pressed, tugging at my sleeve.
“Yeah, I am,” I replied, offering a smile. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Today was the day the traveling merchants would come. They would set up in the village square, selling rare goods from distant lands. Though it would probably be unfair to say they were gouging their prices, they traveled far and wide to collect valuable items and sold them with a modest markup to make a living.
Naturally, living in the absolute middle of nowhere—and I mean nowhere—the merchants’ arrival was a huge deal for our village.
On a slightly different note, my reputation in the mountains bordered on the prodigious. I’d often bring back rare medicinal herbs and wild vegetables, and I’d receive a modest allowance in exchange for selling them. Compared to other kids my age, I had quite a bit more spending money. Truth be told, with my basic healing magic generating small but consistent profits, I was technically wealthier than many grown-ups, but that’s a tale for another time.