Kays Translations

Chapter 35: The Return of Everyday Life and Combat Training

The aftermath of the battle had finally settled, and the village was gradually regaining its usual calm.

The village chief and his team were busy with a flurry of responsibilities: holding funerals for the fallen members of the vigilante group, arranging compensation, and training replacements to fill the ranks. Every day seemed packed from dawn till dusk with tasks that demanded both diligence and care.

After carefully assessing the situation, Rosanne-sama declared that the village chief and his team had handled the recent upheaval appropriately. She promised to bestow rewards for their efforts, a formal acknowledgment that brought a quiet sense of relief and pride to the villagers.

Once she had confirmed that the first batch of repair materials and additional personnel had arrived, Rosanne-sama returned to Meluestat, leaving the village to its recovery.

As for the adventuring party that had been caught up in the chaos, Balrimas decided to stay in the village, passing the time leisurely and trying their hand at mimicking the work of a hunter until Mars-san fully recovered from his injuries.

Meanwhile, I devoted myself to studying the books that Vessel-san had kindly brought me. Hours passed as I absorbed the knowledge within, feeling the slow but steady return of purpose in my life.

Three weeks after the orc attack—just as my injuries were nearing full recovery—three notable events occurred.

The first was my birthday on September 3rd. I had turned six. Well, it wasn’t exactly a big celebration—except for milestone years like five or thirteen, birthdays in our household were quiet affairs.

The second was, unfortunately, a setback: the spider silk liquid I had been observing had gone bad. Unable to move properly myself, I had relied on Rugena’s help for monitoring. Gradually, it had begun to discolor into a murky brown and emit a pungent stench, indicating decay. In the end, it had to be disposed of. That meant I would need to start the collection process all over again.

The third event was a more positive one: I had formally greeted Vessel-san. At first, it had been intimidating, but this time, there was none of the terror I had felt during our first encounter. Curious, I asked about it, and Vessel-san explained, “It’s because I had been emitting magic through body enhancement—you were affected by the magical energy.”

Even after he explained, I couldn’t quite understand. He promised he would clarify later, but for now, I accepted it.

A month had passed since the orc attack, and finally, both my mother and I had fully recovered. Life could return to its ordinary rhythm.

“Phew… I’m so glad,” I breathed, relief washing over me.

“Thanks to you, Rugena,” my mother said warmly.

Rugena had truly taken care of us, in ways that went far beyond simple tending. Admittedly… some of it had been awkward, given my immobility, but even so, I couldn’t deny my gratitude.

“Tine-sama, I’m glad you’ve healed too,” Rugena added politely.

“Thank you, Fana,” my mother replied.

Stefana had been managing the household chores while tending to the fields and caring for my mother, a task that must have been exhausting. Vessel-san had assisted with the fieldwork, though, transforming into a veritable human plow—a sight that left no doubt about his strength and endurance.

“I’m glad your injuries are healed,” my mother said to him.

“And we caused you trouble, Vessel-san,” I added.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied with a casual shrug.

Their relationship puzzled me. When I had spoken with Rosanne-sama earlier, my mother had sounded somewhat resentful, even hostile. But now, seeing her smiling and conversing casually with Vessel-san, that tension was gone.

“Anyway, we should decide on your training schedule. We can’t set a direction without knowing your current abilities. Would it be okay to prioritize training for the next few days?” he asked.

“Yes. Al, does that work for you?” my mother prompted.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I confirmed.

Part of me wanted to resume my interrupted research, but since I didn’t know how long Vessel-san would stay, it made more sense to focus on training for now. I didn’t want to be powerless like I had been during the orc attack.

“Vessel-san, I’m counting on you,” I said earnestly.

“Don’t worry. Leave it to me,” he replied confidently.

From the next day, our sessions began almost like physical assessments: testing running speed, distance, explosive power, stamina, and strength. The following day, we evaluated not only the results of sword training but also my aptitude with spears, axes, and hammers. The day after, we focused on assessing my control over magic.

From these observations, a clear plan for my future training emerged.

“First, weapons that you can handle… don’t really exist,” Vessel-san said bluntly.

“…don’t exist?” I asked, stunned.

“Well, more precisely, it’s ‘better not to use them,’” he clarified.

Hearing that felt harsher than anything. Still, when he explained, it made sense.

According to Vessel-san, I was a “magician type.” This didn’t mean I couldn’t use magic—it meant that any time I attempted a physical action, like swinging a sword, I would overthink angles and speed. My movements became delayed, and if thought and action fell out of sync, my form would distort. Holding a weapon made it worse, since I had to focus on moving the weapon correctly, which further slowed me down.

“Some people overcome that, but it takes more than ordinary effort. You’d have to push yourself to the brink of death,” he said.

Hearing that made me want to try, but my goals were different.

“You can correct it a bit, but your focus should be on fleeing,” he instructed.

“Fleeing? But… wouldn’t that prevent me from defending myself?” I asked, confused.

“Running away is a valid form of self-defense. But it’s not just ‘run.’ It’s ‘block, dodge, deceive, and then escape.’”

I thought I understood what he meant, but imagining myself doing it left me with only one word: “coward.”

“Well, I’ll at least teach you enough to handle fights involving punches and kicks,” he said.

“…Alright, please,” I said, resigned.

Next came the lessons on magic. My magical power and control were comparable to a wizard’s, but I had no elemental affinity, so I couldn’t cast traditional spells or enhance my body with magic. My abilities to materialize magic or use Rud were impressive, but their efficiency was low—too much energy for too little effect. When I had created a wall to protect my mother, it had consumed nearly all my magic, proving the point.

“If you materialize, stick to small objects—like gauntlets or greaves,” he advised.

That made sense; smaller items wouldn’t drain my magic completely. The defense would be weaker if the magic concentration was low, but in emergencies, it would suffice.

“Using Rud to blind an enemy is fine, but don’t expect it to work twice,” he added.

I hadn’t known that Rud represented “visible magical energy” and could be countered with similar magical output.

Finally, he explained about magical sensitivity. My initial fear of Vessel-san came from sensing the overwhelming magical energy of his body-enhancement magic. Seeing it demonstrated again confirmed that fear.

“There are different types of body-enhancement magic. Mine uses four elements—more than Rose’s three—so mine is stronger,” he bragged.

I couldn’t really appreciate the boast, but I understood that he had control over four or more elements. The world could be unfair, but… that was life.

“Still, I’ll bring you to a level where you can defend yourself,” he concluded.

“…Yes, please,” I replied earnestly.

I hadn’t realized I lacked such natural combat talent, but it didn’t matter. My goal was alchemy, not combat. Training was simply for self-protection, not to become the strongest.

And so began my combat training, which was surprisingly mundane.

Vessel-san explained that, for a child, learning how to move the body correctly was more important than building strength.

The first exercise was a balancing drill: stand on one leg while moving the other horizontally from front to back and back to front, alternating sides. It was core training, focusing on slow, deliberate movement without falling.

The second was almost dance-like: stepping in patterns, forward and backward rolls, and somersaults. This trained explosive power and familiarized my body with controlled movement.

The third was playful: walking while tossing stones at targets or juggling. It trained the ability to separate thought from action by performing multiple tasks simultaneously.

It wasn’t at all what I had imagined “combat training” to be. I wondered skeptically, Can this really make me stronger?

At the end, I overheard Vessel-san mutter, “Prep, move, execute—you can manage that, right?” and I felt a pang of mild regret.

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