Chapter 14

How to Live as a Hero in a Magical World

I’m Home

Eldarin let out a small sigh of relief as she watched Kaian display an almost obsessive determination to work in the fields.

‘At least that’s a relief….’

A human child with flames in his Inner World had gone to a volcanic region.

In other words, he had visited a place where the abundance of fire mana would stimulate those flames.

‘He must have confronted the overflowing aggression within himself.’

And yet, instead of changing dramatically, all he seemed to have gained was exhaustion.

“This time, you converted the flames inside you into… some strange form of enthusiasm.”

Indeed, when it came to the instinct for survival, her disciple was exceptionally gifted.

Eldarin left Kaian to go outside and first checked on the condition of the Obsidian Boar, which was quietly waiting by the entrance.

“How did you manage to get stabbed by such an incompetent fellow’s spear?”

“Gweeehk….”

She immediately pulled the stone spear from the Obsidian Boar’s belly and cast a healing spell on it.

“Still, the wound doesn’t appear to be particularly deep.”

Its internal organs had already healed around the stone spear as though they were wrapping themselves around it.

That was thanks to the healing medicine Kaian had applied.

Eldarin’s eyes grew serious when she realized this.

“…He could have killed you, but he chose not to. And you repaid the life debt you owed to that foolish boy.”

Instead of crying out this time, the Obsidian Boar happily shook its snout.

“Frrr! Frrrk!”

“Haha. Did you develop your own method of communication? Clever creature.”

Eldarin gently stroked the Obsidian Boar’s fur.

Its eyes slowly began to close.

“You came all the way here without getting agitated. Rest as long as you like before you leave.”

“Frrrr….”

Meanwhile, Kaian had somehow managed to make it all the way to the field with a hoe in his hand.

Beside him, the earth spirits were anxiously flashing their yellow light over and over.

Some of the spirits led the small spirits who had helped Kaian in the volcanic region back to the field.

—Peep-peep! Peep!

They seemed to be telling them to rest quickly.

They made pillows out of the soil in the field and even brought pretty leaves to cover the little spirits with.

The sight gradually brought life back into Kaian’s eyes.

“Ah….”

The tenderness he had missed ever since leaving the house was right before his eyes.

Only then did he truly realize where he was.

‘I’m back.’

Finally coming to his senses, Kaian smiled at the spirits.

“Guys, I’m ba— huh?”

As his tension relaxed, so did his legs.

—Sway…!

—Peep! Peep-peep-peep!

His body tipped backward, and the clear autumn sky came into view.

‘Huh? I feel like this happened before….’

It had been when he first harvested sweet potatoes in the field.

Even though it hadn’t been that long ago, it somehow felt like it had happened ages ago.

—Thud!

Kaian collapsed right there in the field.

‘Oh no! Kaian!’

Ember, who had been anxiously fussing around with the earth spirits, hurriedly grabbed some medicine and rushed outside.

She reached the field like the wind and rested Kaian’s head on her lap.

Then she carefully poured tea mixed with medicine into Kaian’s mouth.

It was precious medicine, but because Kaian kept trying to speak, most of it failed to make it into his mouth.

“Gulp. Ember, the packed lunch was deli—gulp. The tea too, ugh. Piggy and—cough, cough.”

In the end, Ember directly spoke into Kaian’s consciousness.

〔Shh. Be quiet.〕

Kaian’s eyes widened in surprise.

It was the first time he had ever heard Ember’s voice.

“Whoa… your voice… first time… cough! Cough!”

〔Ssshhhhh!〕

Eldarin, having finished treating the Obsidian Boar, quietly approached them as well.

She looked down at Kaian, who was completely battered and exhausted, and sneered.

“You certainly have a talent for stealing herbs. You even made Cobalt Poultice and healing medicine. You stole knowledge, raided my storage, and charmed spirits and magical beasts alike. Good grief. Rather than taking in a future hero, it seems I’ve raised the descendant of some great thief. You certainly have quite the talent.”

Because of the dazzling sunlight, Kaian couldn’t see Eldarin’s expression clearly.

He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun and squinted at her.

“…?”

Eldarin’s expression was strangely contorted, as though she were desperately trying to force down the corners of her mouth that kept rising.

She was doing her best to hide her true feelings behind sarcasm, but it was obvious that she was quite pleased.

Kaian burst out laughing.

“Pwahaha! Now that’s a unique kind of compliment!”

Then, as though he suddenly remembered something, he startled and tried to sit up.

Ember firmly pressed his head back down.

“Ah, right! Piggy? How is he? Is he okay?”

“Piggy…?”

Eldarin furrowed her brow slightly before understanding and nodding.

“You mean the Obsidian Boar. Thanks to the medicine you applied, it received temporary treatment. I removed the spear and placed it in the recovery room. It’s strong enough to have made it here despite having its belly pierced, so it should be back on its feet within a few days.”

“Haah… That’s a relief. Thank you, Eldarin.”

“It was nothing. In any case, it seems you’re finally somewhat prepared to face fire.”

Kaian’s pupils wandered restlessly.

“What are you talking about…? I’ve already seen more than enough fire.”

“Hmph. This is only the beginning.”

“Why would you say something like that while I’m taking medicine….”

“We’ll be leaving immediately, so get ready.”

Eldarin returned to the house with unusually light steps.

Kaian, however, could only sigh and stare blankly at the blue sky.

‘She really is a wonderful teacher… I feel like crying.’

Just then, Ember spoke to Kaian again.

〔Kaian, congratulations on obtaining the Flame Veil. And… welcome home. I’m glad you made it back safely.〕

Along with her warm greeting, she gave him a gentle smile.

Just like her voice, it was the first time Kaian had seen Ember smile.

Clear and transparent like morning dew resting on a leaf, the greeting moved Kaian deeply.

He responded with the brightest smile he could give.

“Yeah. I’m home…!”

When Kaian came to again, he was inside a swaying carriage.

When had he fallen asleep?

He couldn’t remember.

He had definitely been walking across the Ash-Covered Land, so why was he in a carriage?

He had no idea.

‘…Am I dead?’

That was the first thought that came to Kaian’s mind.

Come to think of it, he vaguely remembered reading a fairy tale about the dead being transported to the afterlife in carriages.

‘What a ridiculous premise. The dead all return to mana, after all….’

He remained dazed for a few seconds.

Then, like a dam suddenly breaking, a sense of crisis flooded over him.

Kaian’s eyes gradually widened.

Then he suddenly sat upright and screamed.

“No! I can’t die yet!”

—Rattle!

At that moment, the carriage shook, throwing Kaian’s balance off.

He ended up landing hard on his butt.

—Crash!

“Ow!”

Judging by the fact that it hurt perfectly well, he apparently wasn’t dead yet.

Eldarin, sitting across from him, clicked her tongue.

“Tsk, tsk….”

Beside Eldarin, Ember was trying to suppress her laughter while avoiding his gaze.

Only then did Kaian’s memories slowly return.

“Ah… Flame Veil… I got it….”

Kaian let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his tense body.

“Of course. There’s no way I’d die that easily.”

“You still haven’t come to your senses.”

Regardless of Eldarin’s sarcasm, Kaian couldn’t stop himself from grinning now that he knew he was alive.

Then he suddenly noticed something strange and looked around.

Sure enough, he was inside a carriage.

“Eldarin! You said there were no horses around here! How is this carriage moving?!”

Kaian trembled with a sense of betrayal.

If there had been horses in the Elder Grove, he would have learned to ride one before doing anything else.

He could have even built a carriage.

No, if he had known there was a carriage, he would have stolen it.

But because there supposedly weren’t any horses, he had run and walked until his feet were blistered…!

‘Was she lying to me? Was I just an overly innocent child?’

Kaian stuck his head out the window and looked toward the front of the carriage in disbelief.

But the place where the horses should have been was completely empty.

“Huh…?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk….”

Eldarin’s tongue-clicking became even more intense.

Ember kindly added an explanation.

〔It’s an Auto Magina. There really aren’t any horses in the Elder Grove. There might be magical beasts that resemble horses, though.〕

Kaian’s face turned bright red.

“I know… I know what an Auto Magina is… I-I just woke up!”

Embarrassed, he looked out the window.

An Auto Magina.

It literally meant a self-moving magical machine.

Simply put, it was a modified carriage that could travel without horses.

These days, Auto Maginas were far more common than horse-drawn carriages.

‘Of course. Around eighty percent of the world’s population are low- or mid-level mana users, after all.’

It was much easier to cast magic on objects than on living creatures.

From the perspective of a low-level mage, there was little reason to purchase an expensive horse, take meticulous care of it, and cast difficult magic just to ride in a carriage.

As a result, riding in a horse-drawn carriage could practically be taken as an indication that the passenger was a high- or top-level mana user—or a noble.

‘I naturally assumed that a powerful mage like Eldarin would use a horse-drawn carriage… I just didn’t realize she’d use an Auto Magina.’

Kaian somehow felt as though he had become an arrogant noble brat trapped in old-fashioned customs.

As he sulkily rested his chin on his hand, Ember spoke to him through their shared consciousness again.

〔Kaian, how is your body feeling?〕

“My body? Well, it’s still really sore and stinging… huh?”

Kaian answered irritably before suddenly examining his own body.

The burning sensation in his throat was gone.

His skin had healed completely, and even the lingering muscle pain that had plagued him was gone.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

“In… out. In… out.”

He repeated it several times.

There was no pain.

‘Fresh, clean air! Healthy, clean lungs!’

Kaian shouted excitedly.

“I’m completely healed!”

Ember answered with a gentle smile.

〔While you were unconscious, I treated everything I could. You should still be careful for a while, but there shouldn’t be any problem with moving around. You did well.〕

Kaian’s eyes filled with tears, and his chest swelled with emotion.

As expected, Ember was the merciful spirit of the tree house.

Unlike someone else.

“Thank you! Then Piggy is okay too, right?”

Eldarin clicked her tongue again.

“Tsk, tsk. Didn’t I tell you? I said he would recover in a few days.”

“Ah… right.”

They say physical injuries heal more easily than mental ones.

Apparently, even though his skin had completely healed, his mind still hadn’t quite cleared up.

Still, Kaian thanked Eldarin again.

“Eldarin, thank you so much for treating our Piggy.”

Eldarin remained silent for a moment before turning her gaze toward the window.

Ember nudged Eldarin’s side with her elbow.

Only then did Eldarin sigh and speak as though she had no choice.

“Enough. I should be the one… thanking you for not killing the magical beast.”

“Huh?”

Kaian’s eyes widened.

‘Did Eldarin just thank me? Eldarin? Me?’

“As expected… You really have to live a long time to see everything.”

“Annoying.”

It was the moment Kaian’s dream of living a long and healthy life became even more firmly rooted.

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