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“Alright, don’t be nervous and just try it slowly one more time.”

“Ugh, this isn’t working well…”

Swish…

After catching the wild boar, a suggestion came from the villagers to handle some logging work that we hadn’t been able to do due to the dangers before.

Of course, this was under the pretext of getting a good pocket money.

To be exact, it was not proposed for us, but thinking about Stella’s magic, we decided to accept it as a practice to improve our aiming skills.

The technique we would train this time was Tier 2 magic, ‘Wind Cutter’.

As the name suggests, it’s a technique that unleashes blades of wind.

As with the last time we caught the wild boar, my accuracy was quite lacking.

Its power was also insufficient for combat use.

Last time, when I shot the magical bullet, my accuracy and penetrating power were flawless. When I asked Stella how she used that magic, she thought about it for a long time and then cheerfully said, “I don’t know!”

I grabbed her cheeks and pulled them enough to make a funny sound.

“Agh!… Why did you pull me?”

“Just for the fun of it.”

Well, soft things really are addictive.

Perhaps it had an effect on her emotions, thus influencing her awakening.

Among characters with unique abilities, there were several cases where their powers strengthened according to their emotions, so it seemed plausible.

Shweep swoosh!

“Ha… why isn’t it hitting?!”

With my continuous missed shots, sweat began to bead on Stella’s forehead, and irritation showed on her face.

“Hmm…”

Come to think of it, in the game, when using ability, there was a motion to focus by pointing a finger.

“Wait a sec, Stella.”

“Huh? Why?”

I picked up a sturdy branch nearby and carefully sharpened it with my knife.

Swish swish

“What are you making?”

Ten minutes later, I created a rather decent-looking magic staff. I made the handle easy to grip too.

The appearance wasn’t like a long, traditional staff but more akin to something you’d see in Harry Potter.

It was lightweight enough to be held in one hand…

“Wow! This is a staff! They sell these for a high price in stores…”

“Try aiming with this.”

“But isn’t this just a model? What can I do with this?”

There’s no guarantee it would work, but I figured it’s worth a shot.

“Just give it a try.”

Initially doubtful, Stella channeled magic into the staff and aimed before chanting a spell.

Wing-sheeew!

“Uh…?! I did it!”

The blade of wind cleanly sliced through the tree stump.

Stella dashed to the stump, hopping and cheering.

“This is amazing!! It hits exactly the way I want!”

The mage character in the first-person view used certain objects as a focus point—who knew it would actually work!

Of course, its durability is lower than commercially sold magic staffs, and it had no additional ability to channel magic,

“Wow… this is great…”

For now, this should suffice.

After all, being a genius means I don’t even need assistance with my magic control.

Speaking of which, seeing her so happy… I want to grab her cheeks again.

“Then let’s cut down about ten trees and head back.”

“Ugh…? That’s a bit…”

*

After crudely logging about ten trees, we returned to the village.

“To think we had to cut down ten trees… I hate Nova…”

“Good job, Uncle. We’re back!”

“Oh, you’re back. You kids really did cut down a lot. Just load them onto the cart here.”

When we arrived at the village entrance, a burly carpenter with a jovial personality welcomed us with his bushy beard.

“By the way, magic really is handy. You can move such heavy logs so easily. And what’s that stick you have?”

“Oh, this was made by Nova!”

Stella seemed delighted to show off the stick I made, chattering away.

“Got it, got it. You two seem to be quite fond of each other—you make a perfect pair.”

Of course, Stella doesn’t intend to give it to anyone else.

“Anyway, kids, how about I take you around the city as a reward for bringing the wood? I’ll buy you something delicious.”

“Something delicious..! I want to go!”

Usually, one shouldn’t follow an uncle who promises tasty treats, but since Uncle Gallen is a trustworthy carpenter who’s worked in the village for a long time, it should be fine.

*

Arriving in the adventurer city ‘Haren Village’ after a ride on the cart from our quiet rural town deep in the mountains, we first looked for a merchant to sell the logs.

“Hey, Gwen! You’re back.”

“Welcome, Gallen. Hmm? You have quite the amount today.”

The merchant, called Gwen, was a young man who looked quite tired for his age.

“Haha, that’s right. Thanks to these kids here.”

“…These little ones?”

“Yes. We even got rid of that troublesome wild boar, they’re the pride of our village. Especially the little girl with purple hair—she can use magic too! I have high hopes for her future.”

“The colossal wild boar that was dubbed the mountain god? Hmm…? She looks pretty young, and she can already use magic?”

Gwen looked at Stella, who was munching on a churro, as if evaluating the goods. Stella seemed a bit uncomfortable and subtly hid behind me.

“Then what about this black-haired boy?”

“I probably can’t say that for sure. Can you use magic?”

“I’ll soon be able to use it.”

“Oh? Hahaha! Already confident to be a top-notch magician, huh?”

It wasn’t just confidence—I really will be able to use it soon. One more day left. I silently repeated this as I glanced at my status window beside me.

[1 Day Until Tutorial Starts]

“Hmm… I see. Excuse me then. Take care.”

As we left that ominous-looking merchant with his hollow eyes, we spotted a magical tool shop on our way back.

Well, I should definitely buy a proper weapon for Stella for her future. Since we had received quite a bit of money, I pointed at a staff displayed in front of the shop and asked Stella.

“Do you see anything you like here?”

Stella glanced at the displayed staffs and turned away disinterestedly.

“I like this one.”

As she spoke, Stella offered me the staff I had made.

“But wouldn’t the ones sold here be better? This might break soon…”

Stella shook her head vigorously, shouting.

“I like this! I don’t need anything else. If it breaks, just make another one for me!”

…This is pretty touching. I didn’t expect her to like it that much. Alright, since it’s like this, I should take her to a nice place today.

*

In the eerie silence of an alley where no footfalls could be heard, a man was running desperately, gasping for breath.

“Pant… pant, damn it.”

Gwen, looking around anxiously, finally sighed in relief when he saw the quiet surroundings. At that moment, a shuriken flew swiftly without warning and struck his knee.

“Ughhh!”

As Gwen writhed in pain on the ground, a figure approached him, walking steadily.

“Damn it, what did I do to deserve this?”

The bald, burly man concealed beneath a hood smirked mockingly.

“Did you think you could get away scot-free after embezzling the organization’s funds and dumping the drugs wherever you fancied?”

“How… how did you…”

“That person is quite angry. Your purge will be taken care of by them. Come along quietly.”

That crazy guy is here in this village? Forgetting the pain of the shuriken lodged in his knee, Gwen turned pale with fear.

*

Shivering in fear, captured by the masked man, Gwen trembled as he looked at the man before him. The man, who was leisurely sipping coffee and humming, smiled slyly at Gwen.

“Long time no see, Gwen. You look a bit thinner.”

Gwen stammered in response to the man’s smooth question.

“Y-yes… Ned! I wasn’t trying to embezzle money. It was for the organization! I was just trying to explain…”

Bang!

“Guh… oof!”

“Answer only the question you are asked.”

The bald man slammed Gwen’s head onto the table without mercy.

“Don’t be too harsh. Let him at least be able to speak about Lauraf.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Look at this poor, skinny thing. Are you eating well? Oh, is it because of the drugs? Our drugs can be quite potent.”

The man dusted off Gwen’s clothes, his tone light as he asked.

“So, have you managed to gather that information?”

“Uh, that is still…”

“Hmm? Still? Did you steal money and then sell drugs outside designated areas, getting caught by the magic tower, and you have no information?”

Tap tap tap

“Well, I understand that information doesn’t just fall into your hands easily. But…”

As the man gently tapped the table with his finger, Lauraf seemed to understand the cue and placed Gwen’s hands on the table.

In an instant, the soft-faced man revealed his sharp azure eyes and, with a dagger that seemed to come from nowhere, shoved it dangerously between Gwen’s fingers on the table.

“Ahhh!!”

“Why should I keep alive an information broker who can’t even gather information or do his job?”

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted as the soft-faced man twisted the dagger, severing Gwen’s ring and pinky fingers.

“Ahh, ahhh!!!!”

“Shut up, or I’ll crush your jaw.”

Lauraf, covering Gwen’s mouth, warned him indifferently.

“If I could, I’d like to torment you even more and then kill you, but I’m busy right now. A crazy old man is chasing after me. So what’s your dying wish?”

As Lauraf removed his hand, Gwen blurted out rapidly.

“I… I have information! I have it!!”

*

“What on earth are you planning to do, Nova? What are you up to in the forest again?”

“Just follow me for a bit.”

After returning to the village, Stella and I had dinner, then headed back to the forest.

“I’m getting tired of the forest…”

“Just wait a moment. I’ll show you something good.”

“Just don’t show me something boring or I’ll make you carry me back.”

I should probably refrain from saying that; knowing my luck, I might get ridiculed.

As we stepped into the center of the woods, Stella’s eyes widened. The view before us was a vast lake that could be seen in Alaska, giving a dreamy ambiance enhanced by the evening glow.

“What do you think? Worth the trip?”

“It’s so beautiful…!! It feels… extraordinary!”

Maybe she’s still young, so she can’t express it well, but Stella truly seemed to love it. This lake we were in was one of the main event spots in ‘Eternal Fantasy’. After all, it was where the protagonist connected with the heroine.

It was roughly the place where, during a vacation, one would return home, get confessed to by a partner at this lake, heightening emotions leading to a very intimate scene and sound effects during the event.

“How did you find this place? You couldn’t have come due to the wild boar earlier.”

“Eh? It’s nothing special. I found my way here just to show it to you while you were hard at work chopping wood.”

“Wasn’t that just slacking off?”

“Let the little things slide. Isn’t it really beautiful?”

“… Yeah, well, since it was pretty, I’ll let it slide.”

As she said that, Stella admired the scenery with a pleased expression.

*

Seeing her smile so blissfully, I wondered why she seemed so sad in the game. Why did she throw her life away so easily? It didn’t make sense. If possible, I just wanted her to be happy like this forever. A heroine who dies no matter what kind of choice she makes—what kind of world is that?

“Stella.”

“Yeah? What is it, Nova?”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Me? I… I like it just the way it is now.”

“Weren’t you going to become a mage?”

“That’s nice too, but if I become a mage, I’d have to live away from Aunt and Uncle. And… from you too.”

“Me? Why would I be away?”

“Well, if I become a mage…”

“I’ll follow you.”

“?”

“I’ll follow wherever you go, whether to the Academy or anywhere else.”

“….?!?”

Stella’s face suddenly turned bright red.

“Uh… right! Of course, Nova, you can’t do without me…!”

“What are you talking about? You’d only cause trouble without me. How would you handle things without me?”

“What do you mean?!”

Slap

Ouch, this little one really hits hard. Stella puffed up for a moment, but then sat musing, staring at the lake.

“You have to stay with me. It’s a promise, okay?”

With a tone slightly tense, I chuckled and replied.

“Of course.”

It was getting dark gradually.

“Stella, we should head back now.”

“Eh… I want to stay a bit longer…”

“We can come again tomorrow. It’s getting dark, so we should go back.”

“… Okay, I got it! But we have to come again tomorrow.”

“You really must have loved this, huh? Alright, let’s come again tomorrow.”

With that, we headed home.

*

The next day, Stella disappeared.

 

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