Recovering the Body
The rules Eldarin gave him were as follows.
One. Those who do not work cannot remain in Eldergrove. Naturally, they have no right to eat either.
Therefore, from 8:40 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., he would help with farming and gardening.
Two. Mealtimes must be followed.
The table would not be prepared twice. If he wanted to eat, he had to eat when the food was served.
Breakfast began at 7:30 a.m.
Lunch began at 12:30 p.m.
Dinner began at 6:30 p.m.
Three. Tea time was both etiquette and culture. After meals, he must participate in tea time.
However, evening tea time was optional.
After hearing all the rules, Kaian asked.
“What if I don’t eat?”
“Then there will be no tea either.”
In the end, it meant he had to eat on time and work on time.
To do that, he would have to sleep on time as well.
Compared to following the etiquette of a noble family or avoiding irritating his older brothers, these rules were much simpler and easier.
‘And I like tea time too.’
Eldarin took an old pocket watch from her bag and handed it to Kaian.
“Take it. Starting tomorrow, you will have to move according to the time, so you should rest for the day.”
“Yes.”
“…You may speak casually. I am not human. There is no need for such empty formalities as children having to use honorifics toward adults or teachers and disciples having to maintain certain etiquette. However… refrain from shouting. Does it not make you look careless?”
“Got it.”
Kaian immediately began speaking according to his feelings.
Eldarin gave a faint smile, then descended the stairs without making a sound, as if she were walking through the air.
Kaian was startled and called out to Eldarin.
After all, he still could not even get up from bed by himself.
His body was in such a state that even while eating soup, his hands would tremble and force him to put the spoon down.
“Uh…? You’re just leaving? What about me? Help me, help me…!”
However, he had too many things to feel guilty about, so he could not raise his voice any further.
He had also just been warned not to shout.
In the end, Kaian sighed and gave up.
“I guess I have to crawl down.”
Of course, the distance between determination and execution came with a price far greater than he had imagined.
“Ugh. Ah. Haa. Ghh.”
Kaian crawled down the stairs carefully, strengthening his resolve.
‘Starting tomorrow, I have to work in the fields with this body.’
Therefore, even if he had to lick his food like a dog because his arm hurt, he would definitely finish the remaining soup.
***
Kaian barely slept throughout the night.
He worried that if he fell into a deep sleep, he would not wake up in time for the meal schedule Eldarin had given him.
“Hmm… This is worrying.”
He had no idea how long it would take to reach the kitchen.
He did not even know which floor he was on.
Judging by the dim view outside the window, perhaps the third or fourth floor.
Of course, since he did not know the height of each floor, even that was not an accurate guess.
There was only one thing he knew for certain.
‘If I fall, it looks like I’ll be saying goodbye to the world.’
Eventually, when the pocket watch pointed to 6 a.m., Kaian left the bed.
“Ugh… Ah… Haa. Good grief. Haa.”
Dozens of times, he stopped halfway down the stairs, sat down, and swallowed his tears.
More than ten times, he wiped away saliva that escaped from the pain.
When he had bitten down and bitten down again until one side of his shirt became ragged.
At last, Kaian reached the first floor.
‘Thank goodness. It really was only three floors.’
He glanced back.
The elegant wooden staircase stained with tears and saliva looked terrifying.
‘Can I really crawl back up there?’
However, Kaian soon shook his head and pushed away the fear.
From his conversation with Eldarin yesterday, he had learned that it was wise to worry about later things later.
“Now, I need to find the kitchen.”
Kaian sprawled onto the floor and checked the watch.
The hour hand that had been on 6 had moved to 7.
‘So it took me an hour to crawl down a three-story staircase. Seriously.’
Even so, Kaian was in a much more comfortable and relaxed state than before.
Because he was on flat ground.
Kaian held the pocket watch hanging around his neck with one hand reverently.
Then he began rolling across the floor.
—Roll, roll, roll.
It was not painless.
But it was far more comfortable than crawling down stairs in a prone position.
And it was a little… fun.
‘Flat ground is the best…!’
That was when.
—Tap.
‘Tap?’
Kaian stopped rolling when he felt something catch against his arm.
Still lying face down, he slightly raised his head.
Immediately, he saw a brown enamel shoe.
‘Huh? I’ve never seen Eldarin wear shoes like this…?’
Curiosity and anxiety sent a sharp sensation through his nerves.
Kaian swallowed and slowly raised his gaze.
Standing there was an unfamiliar woman wearing a maid uniform the same color as the shoes.
“…”
“…”
The woman’s eyes were a beautiful golden color like amber, but those eyes were filled with contempt.
Kaian barely moved his stiff tongue and greeted her.
“…Hello?”
The unfamiliar woman looked as if she was about to spit at him at any moment.
At that moment, Eldarin silently passed by and greeted the woman.
“Hello, Ember.”
“Oh, your name is Ember. Nice to meet you.”
“…”
Kaian tried greeting her cheerfully, but Ember gave no response.
Eldarin sat at the table, opened a book, and spoke.
“Good morning. Please prepare a cup of warm tea, Ember.”
“Of course. That is correct. Today is indeed a very good morning.”
“…”
“Haha…”
Kaian made the most innocent expression he could, like a child.
It was one of his secret techniques for reducing five hits from his older brothers down to two.
‘It worked especially well on my second brother.’
However, Ember clenched and released her fingers as if suppressing her anger, then abruptly turned around and walked away.
Her green hair, grown down to her waist and neatly braided into one strand, swayed behind her.
Like the tail of an angry cat.
“Phew…”
Only after Ember completely disappeared from sight did Kaian let out a small sigh of relief.
He thought peace had finally returned.
But then—
“Ah, Ember. Give Kaian ginger tea. Warm.”
Kaian squeezed his eyes shut.
‘Why did you have to say that…?’
At this point, he decided he would sit at the table before Ember brought the tea.
He needed to show at least that much courtesy if he wanted to make up for the terrible first impression he had just made.
‘It’ll be a problem if the extra person living here becomes disliked too.’
Kaian clenched his teeth and stood up from the floor.
A line of saliva dripped down.
‘Ugh. Ember won’t like seeing this.’
He dragged his legs along and wiped the saliva away with his foot.
His entire body creaked and screamed, but he hurried his steps.
‘Move. Move! Ten more steps! Five more steps! Two more steps…!’
Finally, his hand reached the chair.
—Thump, scrape.
The moment he barely sat down in front of the table, Ember brought the tea.
“T-thank you.”
Kaian held the teacup with trembling hands.
The thoughtless Eldarin sipped her tea and introduced Ember.
“Ember is the spirit of this house. I provided her with the body of a jointed doll I created so she could freely use magic. Ember handles the miscellaneous tasks of this house, so always be grateful to her.”
“The spirit of this house…?”
Kaian’s pupils shook more violently than the teacup he held.
A scene flashed through his mind like a dying memory.
—“I’ll kill you… I’ll burn everything…!”
It was the day he first came to Eldergrove.
He was certain he had burned quite a lot of things back then….
Sweat poured down Kaian’s face as he asked.
“If she’s the spirit of this house… could it be that I previously… that is… here…”
Eldarin smiled gently.
“You burned it.”
“…I burned it.”
“You did.”
“…”
After receiving that final confirmation, Kaian felt his vision fade.
No wonder.
Even though he had only rolled around the house, she had looked at him with such murderous intensity.
‘So I already ruined my first impression.’
Feeling Ember’s sharp gaze falling on him from the side, Kaian took a sip of the ginger tea.
The tea was hotter than expected, burning his tongue and the roof of his mouth.
But he could not complain.
“Ah. It’s, it’s good.”
He tried to smile as gently as Eldarin did.
But he only looked like someone having a facial spasm.
However, Ember gave no response.
She simply stared at Kaian for a moment, then turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.
Kaian rolled his thoughts around in confusion.
‘What was that just now? What kind of expression was that?’
Then he suddenly looked at the tea Ember had given him.
A clear tea with a slight yellow tint.
‘She didn’t spit in it… right?’
And so, Kaian’s second life as the youngest child began.
***
After eating a simple breakfast, Kaian put on the overalls Eldarin had given him and left the house.
She had even kindly prepared a cane for him.
Kaian held the cane tightly with a slightly teary feeling.
‘It would have been nice if you gave me this yesterday…!’
Still, this was his first time going outside since arriving at Eldergrove.
With a faint feeling of excitement, Kaian followed Eldarin.
‘What kind of place is this? I hope it isn’t too large. It’s hard to walk.’
And the moment he stepped outside the front door, Kaian unknowingly let out a cry of admiration.
“Wow…!”
Before his eyes stretched endless waves of golden color.
Kaian’s voice trembled slightly.
“W-what is all this?”
“Rice.”
Kaian glanced up at Eldarin.
Now that he thought about it, his mountain-goat elf teacher seemed a little bad at reading situations.
How could she not understand that sight?
The Balancia Empire where he had lived was the greatest granary in the world.
That was not what he meant.
“Yesterday, you said I would have to work in the fields and garden….”
“I did.”
Kaian looked up at Eldarin with the most pitiful expression he could make.
“Then do I have to harvest all of that?”
“Do not worry. The rice still needs more time to ripen. For now, I will teach you fieldwork.”
Eldarin answered with an expression that looked like nothing could make her shed a single drop of blood.
Kaian immediately frowned.
Even the tears that had been about to come disappeared.
“…This is patient abuse.”
“Hmph. You will soon be grateful to me.”
Eldarin nodded confidently.
The Eldergrove she created was a space where mana flowed far purer and more balanced than in the outside world.
A perfect place where any mage would be amazed upon entering and never wish to leave.
That was Eldergrove.
However, judging from Kaian’s reaction, he could not perceive the mana of this place at all.
‘Hmm. As expected, is it because he awakened his inner world unconsciously?’
Originally, humans awakened their mana between the ages of twelve and fifteen.
Eldarin considered it a miracle that Kaian had awakened his inner world unconsciously during such a dangerous situation.
‘If it is not a miracle… then it must be talent.’
Kaian had used magic without being able to perceive mana.
Mana was the source of magical power.
Using magic without perceiving mana was impossible according to common sense.
Yet Kaian accomplished that impossible feat.
‘Yes. It is remarkable talent, but… from now on, I need to make him adapt to mana as quickly as possible.’
Only then would repairing his inner world become faster.
While Eldarin was lost in her thoughts, Kaian hesitated before speaking in a small voice.
“…I’m already grateful.”
Eldarin blinked.
‘…This human child can say surprisingly admirable things.’
But she did not say it aloud.
The two, Kaian and Eldarin, both poor at communicating with others in their own ways, stood together while looking at the golden plains.
Kaian unconsciously let out a sigh.
“Ha…!”
In the end, he decided to accept his fate.
Perhaps Eldarin had intended from the beginning to raise a farmer rather than a hero.
‘Right. Even if she is a mage, having fields this large means she needs help….’
Kaian sighed deeply again and turned around to close the front door.
However, when he saw the exterior of the house, he let out another cry of admiration.
“Whoa…!”
7