Kays Translations

Chapter Two: What It Takes to Grow Stronger

Several weeks passed.

Looking out the window from his bed, Ren saw that the trees outside had shed all their leaves.

He had first attempted Magic Sword Summoning when he was six months old, so he was now probably seven or eight months old.

Working backward, that meant he had been born in April.

This world had been designed around the real world so that players could understand it easily: a year had twelve months, and a day had twenty-four hours.

His estimate of his birth month should therefore be correct.

(I’m starting to understand it.)

Ren smiled in satisfaction as he held the Wooden Magic Sword he had summoned.

Ever since the day he first used Magic Sword Summoning, he had summoned the Wooden Magic Sword almost every day. The only exception was the following day, when fear of another headache had made him hesitate.

But he had not given up.

When he tried again, the second summoning was not as painful as the first.

After the third and fourth attempts, he noticed that both the headaches and the heaviness in his body had become dramatically milder.

(So the first time hurt because I exhausted my mana.)

In The Legend of the Seven Heroes, characters who ran out of mana temporarily suffered reduced statistics.

Ren had apparently experienced the same thing.

(This world probably doesn’t have personal levels like the game did. Otherwise, I couldn’t explain why I’ve improved.)

Stamina and attack power, for example, did not seem to depend on levels.

Although individuals differed, physical strength naturally increased as the body matured. Mana could also grow when someone like Ren repeatedly depleted it to the limit.

If he wanted to increase his attack power, he would presumably have to train his body just as hard.

In other words, he had to work for it.

(One of my plans has already fallen apart…)

Assuming this world followed the same rules as The Legend of the Seven Heroes, Ren knew several efficient methods of leveling up.

He had hoped to use them to make his life easier and then live in peace, but that no longer seemed possible.

Recently, he had developed a sense for how much mana he could safely use, so all he could do was continue training steadily.

“Awu…”

Even so, his body still refused to move the way he wanted.

Repeatedly summoning a magic sword seemed to have strengthened his mana, but he had been unable to accomplish anything beyond that.

He wanted to learn how to wield a sword as soon as possible, but his infant body would not allow it.

(For now, I suppose I have no choice but to focus on increasing my mana.)

Ren had just sighed deeply when the door opened.

“Ren! Are you awake?”

A broad, well-built man entered the room.

Startled, Ren willed both the magic sword and bracelet to disappear. Making them vanish was another trick he had learned recently.

“Oh, you are awake. Were you looking outside again?”

“Awu!”

“All right! Then your father will let you see it from much closer!”

As the man had just declared, he was Ren’s father.

His name was Roy Ashton. He was still a young man, the same age as Mireille.

(His muscles are impressive as ever.)

Roy had sharp, handsome features and looked well suited beside Mireille.

When Roy lifted Ren into his arms, Ren looked up at him. Roy flashed a refreshing smile that showed his white teeth.

“Take a look! Our nameless village is as splendidly remote as ever today!”

Having somehow turned “remote” into a verb, Roy opened the window. The chilly breeze stirred his short blond hair.

(Yes. It’s certainly as remote as ever.)

The game had never revealed Ren Ashton’s birthplace, but it was an extremely rural village with fewer than two hundred residents.

Simple houses dotted the farmland beyond the window.

“Can you see it? That over there is the forest.”

In the direction Roy indicated stood a dense forest. At first glance, nothing about it seemed unusual, but one enormous rock towered over the trees.

“Dau?”

When Ren pointed at it, Roy explained.

“Interested in that rock? It’s called Tsurugi Rock. As you can see, it rises to a point like a sword. It takes about an hour and a half to reach after entering the forest.”

The formation looked as tall as a building of more than ten stories.

As Ren stared at it, a sudden gust brushed his cheek.

“Dau!”

He was trying to complain about the cold, but Roy misunderstood him.

“I see! Looking outside is fun, isn’t it?”

Realizing that communication was hopeless, Ren stared into the distance.

He would probably have to keep looking at the countryside until Roy was satisfied. Just as he was beginning to resign himself to that fate, Roy continued.

“But remember this: never enter the forest beyond those fields. The monsters around here may be weak, but they’ll attack if they see you.”

That caught Ren’s attention.

(Monsters…?)

“Fortunately, they’re weak enough that the village gets by. We can eat their meat, and selling their magic stones brings in money. That’s why I can handle them alone.”

(Magic stones! Of course–magic stones!)

There was still something Ren could do besides repeatedly summoning a sword to strengthen his mana.

He had to use magic stones to raise his proficiency.

(I wonder if he’ll show me one…)

Ren looked up at Roy with eyes full of expectation. Roy noticed and looked down at him.

“Do you want to see a monster?”

Ren shook his head.

“Hmm… Then are you interested in a magic stone?”

This time Ren nodded.

Despite his earlier misunderstanding, Roy immediately understood and closed the window.

“All right! Your father will show you one!”

Still carrying Ren, he took him out of the room.

The hallway Ren saw for the first time was no less shabby than his bedroom.

Its wooden boards were dark brown, but their color had faded in places, making them look ancient. Even a few decorations might have improved the place, but there was not a single ornament or piece of fine furniture in sight.

(Come to think of it, the Ashton family held the rank of knight.)

That was merely knowledge from The Legend of the Seven Heroes.

“Hmm… We really need to repair this manor soon.”

A floorboard suddenly creaked loudly beneath Roy, prompting a wry smile.

Seeing Ren lost in thought, Roy spoke as though explaining a lesson.

“I’m attached to this manor because I inherited it from my father, but it seems to be reaching its limit. Well, we’ll think about repairs if the village ever becomes profitable. Remember this, Ren: a poor knight never has money to spare.”

Conveniently, Roy explained everything Ren wanted to know.

(Father, this isn’t exactly a story for a baby.)

To summarize, the Ashton family was a lineage of frontier knights, and the current head, Roy Ashton, had inherited both the estate and title from his father.

Ren had thought the rank of knight was limited to one generation, but apparently that was not the case in this world.

(Oh, something smells good.)

The aroma of roasting meat tickled Ren’s nose.

Roy followed it to a door and threw it open.

“Mireille! I brought Ren!”

The room beyond was the kitchen.

More than half the floor was bare earth. A door led outside, and the room had an old-fashioned atmosphere.

“Y-you! Why did you suddenly bring Ren in here?!”

“Well, he said he wanted to see a magic stone.”

“There’s no way he said that! Honestly!”

(Actually, I did.)

Roy carried Ren toward the earthen floor where Mireille stood. A stone basin and a small, soot-stained stove occupied the area.

Mireille stood in front of the stove with a startled expression.

“Honestly! I was carefully deciding when it would be safe to bring Ren out of his room! You’re always like this–the moment an idea enters your head, you act on it by yourself!”

“A-always? That’s not true!”

“Yes, it is! You were the same when we were five! We agreed that our first trip outside together would be to the fields, and then you went without me!”

“Guh…”

Ren unexpectedly learned something about his parents’ childhood and found their exchange heartwarming.

He had already begun to feel affection for this world and his new life, so he was glad that his parents got along well.

Roy seemed slightly henpecked, but that was a minor detail.

“…Did you really bring Ren here only to show him a magic stone?”

“Of course!”

“Honestly… That’s right. You’ve always been obsessed with swords. You’ve spent your whole life fighting monsters and collecting their magic stones. You must have imagined Ren saying he wanted to see one.”

Ren celebrated silently.

This was convenient. If his father was both a swordsman and an enthusiastic collector of magic stones, Roy might become a great help in Ren’s growth.

“W-we’ll know whether I imagined it if we test him! Come on, lend me the stone from the monster I hunted this morning!”

“Fine, fine. I’ve already finished butchering it, so help yourself.”

Roy handed Ren to Mireille and crossed to a corner of the earthen floor. A mud-stained pelt lay there with a translucent stone resting on top.

(Is that a Little Boar’s hide?)

The name flashed through Ren’s mind.

In The Legend of the Seven Heroes, the Little Boar was the first monster the protagonist fought. It resembled a wild pig.

“Your father earns money by defeating monsters, and the whole village shares the meat. That’s why your mother respects him very much. But, Ren, please don’t grow into a boy who cares only about swords and magic stones. All right?”

(Ha… ha…)

He could not promise that.

He answered with a strained smile, yet Mireille appeared delighted anyway.

“I’m back! Here, Ren–this is a magic stone!”

Roy returned triumphantly with the translucent stone Ren had seen before. Up close, it had a faint green tint and looked as though polishing it would give it the beauty of a gemstone.

It was small enough to fit in an adult’s palm. Roy placed it in Ren’s hands.

(O-oh… So this is a magic stone!)

Holding it with both hands, Ren smiled more broadly than ever.

Mireille, who had doubted Roy’s claim about Ren’s interest, watched in surprise and then released a short sigh.

“He is definitely your son.”

“Why are you sighing?”

“I was just thinking that after my husband, now even my beloved son will become obsessed with magic stones and swords. Ren, don’t move so much! It’s dangerous. If you want to look at the stone, I’ll place you on the table.”

Ren apologized silently for worrying her as she set him on a nearby table.

Naturally, Mireille kept a close eye on his back so he would not crawl off and fall.

“Still…”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Perhaps it’s a good thing for the Ashton family that Ren is interested in magic stones. Someday, he may bravely defeat monsters like you and protect this village.”

Although Mireille had complained, she ended by praising her husband’s courage. Roy laughed heartily, a faint flush rising to his cheeks.

Ren barely heard their conversation.

(Heh, heh, heh… Now I’ll gain some proficiency.)

He secretly summoned the bracelet and grinned.

Yet nothing happened to the magic stone.

(I assumed the bracelet would absorb it…)

As the expected reaction failed to occur, a bad feeling grew inside him.

He nervously looked at the bracelet’s crystal.

“This magic stone cannot be used.”

The message left Ren crushed.

(Could it be…?)

Two explanations came to mind.

First, only specific magic stones could be used to increase proficiency.

Second, he could use only stones taken from monsters he had defeated himself.

(The first possibility doesn’t feel right.)

The skill description he had read before reincarnating said that new magic swords could be obtained by fulfilling special conditions.

Until now, Ren had assumed that those conditions might involve particular magic stones.

For example, a stone dropped by a boss monster might unlock a new sword.

(Then it must be the second possibility.)

That explanation made more sense.

If any magic stone worked, Ren could simply buy them and raise his proficiency without effort.

Requiring stones from monsters he had personally defeated would prevent that.

(It really refuses to let me take the easy path…)

As he had already begun to suspect, this world would not allow him to grow stronger effortlessly.

Ren dismissed the bracelet, released the magic stone, and let it roll across the table with a clink. Then he flopped onto his back and muttered a deeply dissatisfied “Awu.”

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