Chapter 147

Chapter 147 A Step to Know the World

Volume 20… starts.

A few days had passed since we departed from the village of the winged people.

From there, we didn’t head to the town we visited before, but were aiming for Sandor which was our final destination right now.

Karen seemed to be sad right after our departure, but since she was a very curious child, she regained her usual demeanor after two days and she started to smile naturally.

Every day was different and interesting for her as we taught her knowledge that we didn’t teach when we were in the village, and it became a practice that satisfied her curiosity.

Karen’s morning began with swinging the sword with Reus.

She was still bad at getting up like always, but she was already improving a bit. While still sleepy, she swung the sword she borrowed from me.

“Do not only swing it with your arms. It is important to swing with the whole body. Like this…!” (Reus)

“Ei!” (Karen)

“And let out your fighting spirit as if you want to defeat me with that blow. Don’t shout ‘Ei’. It’s probably better to let out a prolonged shout.” (Reus)

“Nyaa!” (Karen)

It might be because she put too much emphasis on the voice, it became a shout that somewhat reminded me of a certain married woman with cat ears.

However, no matter how much Karen used her strength, her swing was weak. From the view of a veteran, it looked just like playing.

Of course, Karen was still young but in the first place, the tribe known as winged people was light in weight. They weren’t suited for fighting with sword-like weapons.

If she wanted to be strong, she should probably practice magic rather than swinging the sword, but the reason I didn’t say that was because I felt it was wrong to say it.

Everything could be an experience and since it was possible to train the body as well as the mind by swinging the sword, that wasn’t a waste of effort.

Karen herself would understand if that was suitable for her or not. Nonetheless, if she said that she wanted to keep swinging swords, it was better to wait and consider the suitability at a later time together with everyone.

In some cases, it seemed to be a disadvantage, but I wouldn’t like to dampen Karen’s curiosity if possible. At present, I wanted her to attempt anything and everything to experience various things.

While a voice reverberated as if it was an alarm clock in a sense, we also finished a moderate training in the morning and began to prepare the breakfast.

As I was preparing breakfast together with Reese and Fia, Karen and Emilia were washing the clothes in a nearby river.

“If it’s that cloth, it is fine to scrub it stronger. Not only using your hands, it is a trick to rub the cloth against itself.” (Emilia)

“Yes… is this alright?” (Karen)

“There is still dirt on the sleeve. You can’t leave that behind.” (Emilia)

“Here too? It’s hard, Emilia-oneechan.” (Karen)

“It is alright if you scrub it intensely. Once this is over, I will prepare a bit honey for you, so work hard until the end.” (Emilia)

“Yeah!” (Karen)

Basically, Karen washed our laundry, but she was trying as much as possible for herself.

Even if she was an important daughter entrusted by Frenda, it would be awkward if I spoiled her too much. Plus, this was also a necessary experience for traveling.

I might not be qualified to say such a thing for having Emilia wash my clothes, but in my case, she would be mad if I didn’t let her do it.

Emilia proudly declared that it was because she was an attendant, but there must be another reason for that. I had a hunch to a certain extent, but since she wanted to do it, I didn’t say anything.

Nevertheless…

“…That’s good.” (Sirius)

“Yeah. Somehow, they looked like a mother and a daughter.” (Reese)

“I remember when Kaa-san was teaching washing to Emilia. While teaching her the severity of work, she enticed Emilia with the things she liked and kept her spirit up.” (Sirius)

“I probably can’t do that. I just can’t look away and would probably help her in the end.” (Reese)

“Well. In your case, you are very kind.” (Sirius)

“I also think so. If the children are spoiled too much, it would also be something bad.” (Fia)

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?” (Reese)

As I soothed both Fia and Reese who pouted her mouth, Karen let out a loud voice.

Apparently, she rubbed too hard and the clothes she brought from her house as a sleep-wear was torn.

“Uuu… it’s my favorite one.” (Karen)

“Since it’s a cloth that you have been using for a long time, that may be unavoidable. However, since it’s still possible to repair it, if it is torn this much, I will teach you how to sew later.” (Emilia)

“Yeah!” (Karen)

They hung the laundries on a stick extended from the carriage in order to let it dry even while on the move, and the work was over.

After that, everyone ate the breakfast prepared, but Karen made a bitter expression when she ate a stir-fried vegetable.

“This vegetable is bitter.” (Karen)

“But, you must eat it, you know? Vegetable is good for your body, so you must eat them properly.” (Sirius)

“Alright… uuh…” (Karen)

“That’s good. You just have to hold on a bit longer.” (Emilia)

“…” (Karen)

“Hmm?” (Reese)

“Eh?” (Reus)

Karen stared at the remaining vegetables, and quietly put them on Reese’s and Rues’ plates.

It wasn’t a bad thing because these two would surely eat it. It seemed that she had already grasped some of our characteristics.

As I expected, the gluttonous siblings seemed to give in and reached out for the vegetables, but… I wouldn’t let them, of course.

“–!? Th-that’s not good, Karen. You have to eat them properly!” (Reese)

“Ye-yeah! Even if it’s bitter, you must eat it, alright?” (Reus)

With the silent pressure I released, the vegetables was put back on Karen’s plate, and she faced the vegetables once again.

As I kept watching Karen as if telling her to harden her resolve, she took out a familiar container from her pocket.

“Wait a sec, that is not suitable for this dish.” (Sirius)

“It’s my honey!” (Karen)

Whether or not honey was suitable for vegetables, her pocket was fully loaded with it. It seemed she got it before I knew it.

I promptly recovered the honey, and I decided to advice Karen, who looked at the vegetables three times.

“I know the vegetable is bitter, but keep holding on and chew it for a while. If you do that, something incredible will happen, you know?” (Sirius)

“Really? Uuh~ alright… eh? It became sweet?” (Karen)

These vegetables contained a lot of bitterness, but if you kept chewing it for a while, the sweetness contained in the deeper part would seep out and it would make the vegetables taste sweet.

But since the vegetables needed to be chewed until the sweetness came out, it was normal for people to swallow it before that happened.

Whether her curiosity was stimulated by such mysterious vegetables, the earlier thought of not wanting to eat it faded away and she put it into her mouth one after another and started enjoying the change of taste.

When she quietly nodded as if she had gotten used to it, the siblings, who were next to me, whispered secretly.

“Say, Aniki. As the bitterness will disappear if it is boiled, why did you stir fry it this time?” (Reus)

“I also agree. Somehow, I have a feeling that this is not the kind of dish Sirius-sama would usually make.” (Emilia)

“I wanted to teach her that there is such a vegetable, but I also wanted to confirm her tendency for foods.” (Sirius)

It was a different matter if it caused allergic reactions, but it would be bad if she was unable to consume nutrition just because she disliked it.

I was planning to fix that tendency gradually once I confirmed her preferences and dislikes.

“That reminds me. When Sirius-sama picked us up, you told us to drink that bitter juice made from medicinal herbs.” (Emilia)

“All dishes prepared by Aniki are delicious, but that was the only one unsavory…” (Reus)

“I wonder if it’s really not tasty. Sure, it has various tastes mixed, but I didn’t dislike it.” (Reese)

“Reese-ane is beyond special.” (Reus)

Regarding the range of different dishes, Reese was the ideal one because she wasn’t picky at all. Of course, being ideal didn’t include being gluttonous.

“Well, I said a lot, but she will get used to it eventually. She will be able to eat it naturally if she is free from the thought of disliking the dishes.” (Sirius)

I had an experience where I continued to eat superbly unappetizing packed meals in the previous life. However, as long as they weren’t poisoned, I could eat it no matter how unsavory they were.

When I was in a conflict zone, I was in a really bad situation. Compared to overcoming the resistance to eat boiled and disinfected leather shoes, I felt that it was great.

“Anyway, I’d like people to enjoy meals without being bothered by the things they don’t like. If your belly is full, you can go through all kinds of situations.” (Sirius)

“Yes, you will only feel hungry if you only find the things that you dislike.” (Emilia)

I didn’t want her to miss eating them, not only in order to live but also because it was necessary for her growth.

I definitely would see this through as a part of my educational policy.

Thanks to that, the siblings and Reese grew up wonderfully. When I nodded in satisfaction while watching them, Karen, who was my new disciple, held up her plate that had become clean.

“Thanks for the meal!” (Karen)

“Hehe, you ate everything nicely. Good girl.” (Fia)

“Ehe.” (Karen)

Karen, who finished eating while we were secretly talking, seemed to be completely satisfied when Fia stroked her head.

—

After that, we cleaned up the camp and resumed our trip. We were on the main road while being shaken by the carriage.

There were no bandit or monster raids in particular. In the sunny and relaxing atmosphere, Karen and I were sitting on the coach engaged in magic training.

“Well then, let’s try using [Light] today.” (Sirius)

“If it’s [Light], I can already use it.” (Karen)

“No, the [Light] you are going to use today is the hardest one.” (Sirius)

First off, I invoked [Light] as an example. Then, I controlled my mana and the palm-sized ball of light was divided into five, and they freely flew around me.

Karen looked at it with her mouth open as the flying balls of light revolved around me like moons around a planet.

“This is an application of the knowledge I’ve taught you so far. If you become able to imagine a profound image and also can freely manipulate mana, you should be able to do that.” (Sirius)

“Why do you make it into five balls? If it’s only one, it will be brighter.” (Karen)

“This is a practice for handling mana. If you can do this, you can easily activate the usual [Light]. If you can continuously use [Light] without thinking about anything, you can read the book even at night.” (Sirius)

“I will do my best!” (Karen)

Karen loved to read books, but I told her not to read at night.

The magic tool of illumination found in inns was different, but since the bonfire at our campground was poor in light intensity, it would make the eyes get bad.

However, if she used [Light] around the book, that could solve the problem. Recently, the opportunities to read books had decreased, and that was the reason I taught her this.

First off, I asked her to start with creating two balls of light at the same time, but…

“I can read more books with these!” (Karen)

“No, that would be difficult, you know?” (Sirius)

As I brought a book from the carriage, I asked her to activate the magic while reading the letters. Karen, who was motivated, was trying her best from the start.

However, the current Karen couldn’t unconsciously invoke magic. So, of course, the magic wouldn’t go on smoothly. The [Light] disappeared at the same time she opened the book.

“…Karen. The magic has disappeared, you know?” (Sirius)

“…” (Karen)

“The magic has disappeared, but are you listening, Karen?” (Sirius)

“…” (Karen)

“You are just going to read it, aren’t you?” (Sirius)

That was no good. She was fully immersed in the world of books now.

As one could see, concentrating on one thing was difficult for children. She couldn’t do it unless her body could maintain the magic unconsciously.

Since there was no reaction no matter how many times I called her, I got some honey and brought it closer to Karen.

Karen, who noticed that smell and came back to reality, finally realized that the magic was gone.

“…Eh?” (Karen)

“Don’t you ‘Eh’ me.” (Sirius)

Perhaps, it was a mistake to tell her that she could read books even at night.

While sighing inside, I put away the honey to resume the training…

“Do not read it again!” (Sirius)

“I want to read this page only!” (Karen)

We had grim prospects here.

Well, it wasn’t easy to raise a disciple, so, it was interesting because I could see a different kind of growth compared to the siblings and Reese.

“It’s being to tough, isn’t it?” (Fia)

“However, to say something willful like that is a sign that she wants to be trusted.” (Reese)

“There is no need to be impatient. We just have to support Sirius-sama.” (Emilia)

While being watched attentively by the wives, I had to rethink the education plan for Karen.

—

The plan consisted of running to train her body, learning various things not only from books but also from the actual experience, and scolding her sometimes when she snitched honey.

Together with such noisy moments, this fulfilling journey lasted for several days until we arrived at a village.

Although it was a small village with no specialty products or distinct features, adventurers and merchants often stopped by the village, because it was near the main road. It seemed there was a big building that operated as an inn in this village.

Since it was already evening by the time we secured a room in that inn, we went to eat dinner at the dining hall of the inn.

“Unyaa… this meat is a bit hard.” (Karen)

“Really? Well, it feels tasty when you chew it though.” (Sirius)

“Don’t give up chewing it, Karen. It can make your teeth stronger, so work hard.” (Reus)

“It’s the jaw, not the teeth.” (Reese)

“You don’t have to eat like those two. You can take your time here.” (Sirius)

The gluttonous siblings gave their view to Karen who was struggling to chew the meat.

It might be a bit hard for children, but the taste wasn’t bad. It was fine if she slowly chewed it without rushing. At least, the jaw would get stronger.

Perhaps, this wasn’t due to the cooking skill, but it was the kind of meat. Since I was interested, I planned to ask the employees of the inn later.

However… I could understand that Reus had sturdy teeth because he was a Silver Wolfkin, but why could Reese, who was human, easily bite the meat? As usual, Reese was full of mysteries.

As I was eating while looking at Karen, who was trying hard to chew the meat, Fia, who was drinking wine next to me, muttered while looking at the surroundings.

“I thought that this was a quiet village, but there are quite a few people here.” (Fia)

“Looks like it. It’s a nice place to take a break and it seems they are earning money thanks to the adventurers.” (Sirius)

Adventurers and merchants seemed to be welcome because they weren’t only spending their money, but also providing supplies.

When I looked at the other tables in the dining hall, there were several parties who were eating or drinking, but…

“That group is watching us pretty openly. Well, I guess they still don’t want to get involved.” (Sirius)

“Leaving that aside, do you not want to drink this wine, Sirius? The taste is not bad at all.” (Fia)

“Alright, let me have a little.” (Sirius)

“I also want to drink it!” (Karen)

“You have to grow up first.” (Fia)

The frequent gazes that I could feel from the surroundings were definitely aiming for the ladies in the group.

Incidentally, not only Elves, the winged people were also oftentimes targeted by bad guys. However, since Karen’s wings were hidden under a robe when we were in places where there were people around, nobody would know that she was a winged person as they couldn’t see the wings. I planned to keep her wings hidden until she could decently protect herself.

After the dinner ended, a group of three, men and women, came closer to us while we were enjoying after meal tea and wine.

“Ooh… I didn’t think that I could meet an Elf. You are as beautiful as rumored!” (??)

“Wait a sec! You are being incredibly rude. I’m sorry, this guy is weak against beautiful women.” (??)

“There is no need to apologize. Are you all adventurers? In fact, we are also adventurers…” (Sirius)

They were a party of a young man with a gentle smile, a large bodied man, who scratched his nose while looking at Fia, and a short haired woman who hit that man’s stomach with her elbow.

Since these three seemed to be not much different from us, they probably came to us because they thought it was easy to strike a conversation with us.

While being wary of them, we got to introduce ourselves to each other. It seemed to be alright to think that these three were approaching with genuine interest.

I thought it would be a good experience for Karen if she talked to them, but the person herself was hiding behind Fia’s back. It might be because she had been enslaved and looked at with cruelty, but she was still scared of strangers.

“I-I’m sorry. Did we scare you?” (Woman)

“Don’t mind it, it’s because she is a shy girl. Look, they aren’t scary, so you can come out.” (Fia)

“Alright…” (Karen)

“Karen. Do you know that encounters during traveling are a normal thing? And giving greetings is important.” (Sirius)

Even if she was alone, I wanted her to have some courage like us.

Since it was inevitable to meet other people while traveling around the world, right now, I would like her to experience it even a little in order to overcome her fears.

Whether or not Karen remembered the contents of the book her father left behind due to my words, she came in front of the female adventurer and slowly bowed.

“…My name is Karen.” (Karen)

“Aha, nice to meet you, Karen-chan.” (Woman)

The short haired woman probably liked children. She shook hands with Karen with a full smile on her face, and the other two also gently stroked Karen’s head.

I was glad that the first party we encountered were good natured people. With this, her wariness of the intentions of other people would also fade a little.

We talked about each other’s recent situation, and then, it became a talk about our relationships.

“Haa?” (Big Man)

“These three ladies are…” (Young Man)

“Is he your husband?” (Woman)

“Yes, he is.” (Fia)

“Ehehe, I’ve recently become a wife.” (Reese)

“I’m also Sirius-sama’s wife and his attendant.” (Emilia)

The three were surprised because I had three wives even though I wasn’t a noble.

While the three were looking at me drinking a tea Emilia brewed, the only one who had an envious look was the large man. If it was possible to shed tears of blood, I seemed to be going to be drowned by the flood of tears.

“Damn it, I’m so jealous at you for having these beautiful ladies as wives. Even so, why does nobody fall in love with me no matter how hard I train myself!?” (Big Man)

“That’s why I’ve been telling you to stop doing that many times.” (Young Man)

“Yeah. Stop thinking that possessing strength is a cool thing.” (Woman)

“Ooh, I am confident if it’s about strength. Do you want to have a match?” (Reus)

“Heh, you have some nerve to challenge me after looking at my muscles, huh!? Interesting!” (Big Man)

The large build man was probably someone who got carried away easily since this had become an arm wrestling match with Reus.

All the things on the table were put away, and the two were going against each other’s strength, and…

“Uuu…ooh! You can do it, huh? Say, while having that kind of prowess, isn’t it frustrating that you can’t have these beautiful ladies?” (Big Man)

“No. That’s because they are my Aniki and Nee-chans. Besides, I already have women who I will marry in the future–…” (Reus)

“Damn it! I absolutely can’t be defeated by you!” (Big Man)

“Got it! I’m going for real this time!” (Reus)

“N-no! If I lose to this guy, I… I… aarghh!?” (Big Man)

As expected, Reus seemed to be stronger. The big man was defeated and he collapsed on the floor with an intense noise.

It looked like he wasn’t injured but his spirit was smashed. I probably should apologize to him.

“Sorry, I didn’t think this would happen.” (Sirius)

“You don’t have to worry. This guy got into a match without thinking anything, and it’s always like that.” (Young Man)

For these guys, the large man’s recklessness was a daily occurrence, and the young man merely looked at him with an astounded expression.

And then, the man was raised up by the hand extended by Reus, and they both shook hand as if praising that it was a good match…

“Hehe… he got him!” (Young Man)

“Oh, it’s a grip strength match this time! I won’t lose to you!” (Big Man)

“I am swinging the sword every day, so my grip strength is… ou-ouchh!?” (Reus)

They seemed to be having fun there. I guessed it would be alright to leave them alone.

On the contrary, Karen probably had started to open her heart to the female adventurer as she was currently sitting next to Fia and talking to her.

“I see. You’re amazing, for being separated from your mother at this age.” (Woman)

“Really?” (Karen)

“I think I didn’t want to separate from my mother, especially when I was at your age.” (Woman)

“But, there are Otou-san and Onee-chans. Besides, there are Hokuto, and Reus-Oniichan.” (Karen)

“You’re really a good girl. I also want to have this kind of child someday.” (Woman)

I was worried about her being afraid of people other than us and not being able to talk to someone else, but if it was like this, she was going to be alright.

She would expand her view by learning about the world in those circumstances.

Then, we kept talking until Karen became sleepy.

—

Extra/Bonus – Act 1

Karen’s Diary.

Today, Otou-san taught me magic.

I was already able to use magic, but I’d failed many times because it became more difficult.

But, I will do my best because this will allow me to read books.

In addition, Emilia-Oneechan taught me how to wash and sew clothes.

It was difficult. Sometimes, she put her nose on Otou-san’s clothes, but anyhow, she is an Onee-chan who tells a lot of things that I don’t know.

I was hurt because a needle stuck my finger while sewing, but I’m fine now because Reese-Oneechan healed me immediately after that.

The vegetable served during breakfast was really bitter, but Fia-Oneechan praised me when I ate all of them.

Although it was bitter, it was also sweet. What a mysterious vegetable.

Reus-Oniichan was beaten up by Hokuto.

And the next morning also, Reus-Oniichan was beaten up by Otou-san.

“…Say, Karen. Am I only about being beaten up?” (Reus)

“Is it wrong?” (Karen)

“That’s not it… I mean, I taught you how to swing the sword, right?” (Reus)

“Aah, I see. Uhm… Reus-Oniichan taught me how to swing sword, and after that, he was beaten up by Hokuto…” (Karen)

“Stop writing about me being beaten up!” (Reus)

—

Extra/Bonus – Act 2

Cooking Lesson for Karen.

“Today, I was taught by Otou-san, so I’ll cook stir-fried vegetables, alright.” (Karen)

“Cut it by making your hands like a cat.” (Sirius)

“Leave it to me! Uhm, first, cut the vegetables small, then put in honey in the middle of frying–…” (Karen)

“No, people don’t put honey on stir-fried vegetables. In this case, it can be seasoned with salt and pepper.” (Sirius)

“That is also delicious. But I like it with honey.” (Karen)

“What!? And, why are you using such a large amount of it!?” (Sirius)

The cooking lesson for Karen… no, it was a cooking lesson of putting honey on anything… The End.

—

Extra/Bonus – Act 3

Drawing Hokuto.

Karen went on a journey and tried new things. On that day, she came in front of Hokuto with paper and drawing materials.

“Today, I’m going to draw, so I will draw Hokuto. Remember, you can’t move.” (Karen)

“Woof!” (Hokuto)

“…Hmm, something is wrong.” (Reus)

“Since a picture requires a sense of dynamism, you can also draw a moving figure, you know.” (Sirius)

“I see. So, Hokuto, please run.” (Karen)

“Woof!” (Hokuto)

“…Aah stop there! Flying in the air is the coolest thing.” (Karen)

“Woof…” (Hokuto)

“No, it is impossible for him to stop in the air.” (Sirius)

Edited by Badbedbat