Chapter 1 – 2
Three years have pa.s.sed since Tenma was picked up. The man who picked up Temma is Ricardo, he is a hunter, and his wife’s name is Celia. They seem to have been former adventurers and are quite powerful people. Besides them, there are also many former adventurers in this village.
The village has a population of about 200 people. There are more than 150 former adventurers who within the population. Aside from agriculture, there is a big forest where there are good quality herbs that can be harvested near the small village, and villagers who are bright and are originally adventurers either gather those herbs themselves or they will be a guide for those seeking medicinal herbs. We are profiting by doing such things, and although we cannot say that we are wealthy, however we are not troubled with living.
Tenma has recently been allowed to walk alone in the village. Until then, his mother (Celia) came with him no matter where he went, and without letting go of his hand. He was not allowed to go to the forest by himself yet, but he still felt pleasure in being able to walk freely by himself.
“Oooi, Tenma come over here.”
A villager who has noticed Tenma calls out with his voice. There are several birds on his shoulder as he seems to be returning from hunting.
“Mark-oji-san, h.e.l.lo.”
“Ou, h.e.l.lo Tenma, it is a big harvest! There are five Maru birds.”
Maru birds are not good at flying, but their feet are quick and they are tasty birds about 1-2 kg in size.
“Well, Ricardo has got a wild boar as well as three Maru birds, I will be back in a little while, so prepare for dismantling and wait for me.”
Uncle Mark is also a former adventurer and he seems to have known father (Ricardo) since that time. I was told how to handle the bow while waiting. I can not draw a bow for adults, but I think that it is acc.u.mulated as an experience value. My father came while we were handling the bow.
“Father, it’s a returning with quite a big haul, is not it?”
“Tenma, I’m home, let’s have mother make a feast today!”
My father was laughing while taking out a boar from the bag on his in a good mood. Although a wild boar of nearly 200kg comes out from the bag, I still feel that it is strange.
“It’s convenient as usual, the magical bag “Magic bag”. It is enviable.”
Father’s mood improves due to uncle Mark-oji-san’s words. It is a treasure he obtained with hards.h.i.+ps in his days as an adventurer, it seems to be a difficult to make even for first-rate magicians. Its effect is excellent as it can store non-living things up to 500kg (excluding things like insects and microorganisms parasitizing on corpses, and those with weak life activities like eggs).
“It’s a useful tool but it’s surprising that it’s only an intermediate-level bag.”
Just like the owner, being father himself said, but from the bottom there are divisions such as “Lower cla.s.s”, “Intermediate cla.s.s”, “Upper cla.s.s”, “Special cla.s.s”, “Super cla.s.s”, “Legendary cla.s.s”, “G.o.d cla.s.s”. This cla.s.sification is also applicable towards magic.
“Now that I think about it, have you heard, Ricardo? The grandfather of Marlin will be coming back soon.”
“The old man, the “Sage”!? It is the first time I have heard about since he left here around ten years ago.”
“Who is the old man, the “Sage”?”
Ricardo and Mark responded to Tenma’s question together simultaneously.
“”It’s the “Eccentric”.”
Mark reluctantly explains.
“He is the strongest wizard that whose name remains in history, but is famous for being an eccentric, and he lived in this village long ago.”
“There are stories like when the monsters overflowed from a dungeon in the past, he charged in and repelled them by himself while being stark naked, when he was having an audiences with the king, he did not wear anything under his robe, and he walked around a city wearing just a single piece of underwear.”
Tenma who heard the story from Ricardo, thought, (rather than being an eccentric, isn’t he just an exhibitionist pervert?)
“Ah, it seems that he unusually had the “divine protection of the G.o.d of War” despite being a magician.”
It was Tenma who was a bit convinced by the words of Mark.
“Well rather than something like that, let’s disa.s.semble the boar and roast half of it and eat it with everyone. Mark will start the fire, and Tenma will call everyone in the area.”
“I don’t mind, but I haven’t brought a flint stone with me today.”
“It can’t be helped, then Mark will disa.s.semble the wild boar and I will light the fire with magic.”
Tenma who heard that thought that it was a good opportunity.
“Tou-san(TN:father), I want try to light the fire, so teach me magic.”
So I said, Ricardo thought for a moment and decided to tell me that it was the first step of the beginning for learning magic.
“I understand, but since there are many people who can not use magic, don’t mind it if you are unable to use it, and if you can use it, do not use it arbitrarily in the absence of adults. If you can promise me this, then I will teach you.”
“I understand! I promise!”
Ricardo nodded to those words while telling Mark to go to call the resident in the area.
“Listen, first we want to calm our minds first, then pointing with our finger to where we want the fire, and then imagine the fire and say the word 『Fire』.”
When Ricardo voiced the word, the fallen leaves that had gathered were lit on fire.
“That’s all there is for procedure, it’s a simple magic. The important thing is to clearly imagine the fire, try it.”
While thinking that Ricardo’s teachings are quite simple, I point my finger towards the fallen leaves,
“『Fire』”
At the moment I chanted, the fallen pile leaves lit aflame and a small explosion suddenly occurred. Tenma got blown back due to the unexpected event and rolled backwards. Ricardo was also surprised, but immediately confirmed the area and caught Tenma.
“Tenma! Are you alright?”
As he confirmed that there were no injuries while holding Tenma, and was relieved due to Tema being without injury, Celia rushed over in a hurry while Mark called out to him.
“Tenma! What happened, are there any injuries?!”
Although Ricardo explains the circ.u.mstances to the fl.u.s.tered Celia, she got angry and scolded him as she misunderstood that he had taught attack magic to Temma.
Celia who grasped the situation due to Ricardo desperately explaining the situation, and from the explanation of Tenma, was reluctantly convinced.
“For the time being, let’s discuss this at night and roast the wild boar for dinner”
“Fine”
Regarding Tenma’s magic, it was put aside for latter they had dinner with the neighbours who had rounded up and gathered.
That night, Ricardo and Celia were discussing with each other after confirming that Tenma was asleep.
“I think it is too early to teach magic to Tenma.”
Celia insists that it is better not to teach him magic until Tenma is a little bigger.
Ricardo, on the contrary,
“I contrarily think that it would be better to actively teach him magic.”
And so gave an opposite opinion.
“I think that there is quite the potential for magic sleeping within Tenma. It is enough that a magic that would normally at most result in some burns, becomes something that has the power of an attack magic.”
“That’s why I think it’s dangerous if we don’t teach him after he grow up.”
“Celia, I know enough that you are so powerful that you do not compare with me, however Tenma easily exceeds me at the moment, and will even exceed your magical power in a few more years. I think that he possesses such potential.”
“What is your basis?”
“My intuition as a former adventurer”
“Intuition…huh.”
“Do you not believe me?”
“No, I believe you, because I was saved by your intuition many times in the past, but…”
“Celia, I do not want to say this, but Tenma is not our real child, his real parents may even appear tomorrow. If they are good people then it is fine, but they could even be bad people. At that time, if they notice the potential of Tenma, and try to exploit it, Tenma needs to be able to protect himself. If he has a sharp knife, rather than in an unknown place, it would be better for us to teach him from the foundations as we keep an eye on him.”
“……I understand.”
“Let’s talk to Tenma tomorrow morning as well.”
“Ee, but I’m going to thoroughly teach him the basics all at once.”
“Aah, I’m going to teach him from the way the body moves little by little, be it magic or martial arts, it is at least better to know how to use your body.”
With this, Ricardo and Celia decided on the educational policy of Tenma.