I am now eight years old.
I''ve grown quite tall and my face has become clearer. The fact that I look like my mother hasn''t changed, and I think I''m more cute than cool.
Now I''m training in the garden with a new scarecrow that I made myself.
''''Huh........''''
He exhales and relaxes to the utmost limit.
He carries a seriousness at his waist, but he doesn''t pull it out of its scabbard, not even with his hand on the hilt. He is standing there in his natural body, with his strength relaxed to the side of his body.
He stared at the scarecrow in front of him.
And - pull it out.
The seriousness has already been swung out, and it is quietly inserted into the waist again.
Then - the scarecrow behind him is slashed in half from his torso and his upper body slides down to the ground.
--Iai-slash.
A sword is drawn and slashed a moment later from its sheath.
That''s all there is to it.
I closed the gap between me and the scarecrow in the space of a breath, drew my sword and slashed.
After I slashed, I passed the scarecrow, which left me with the scarecrow behind me.
''''Tsk........tsk, too late.''''
I click my tongue and look at the scarecrow behind me.
The cut doesn''t look very good.
It was the first time today that I tried to do an iai slash with a serious sword.
I''ve been practicing the seriousness of the sword for several months now, with my mother''s permission, but at first I wasn''t used to it, so I wielded the sword normally to build up my muscle strength.
And since I got used to it, I tried to do an iai slash today.......but it''s so much slower than the iai slash in my previous life.
The speed hasn''t even reached 20% of the speed of my previous life.
Moreover - I also wipe the sweat on my forehead with my hand.
I feel this fatigue after just one swing. My physical and muscular strength is still not good at all.
I have to work out more.....
I was watching next to her - Tina, who has turned ten years old, comes towards me, clapping her hands with a crackle.
''''That''s great, Eric! I was so fast I couldn''t see where you pulled your sword out.
Thanks, Tina.
Tina has pretty long reddish hair, which she ties back and puts in a ponytail.
I think she''s very pretty, like an energetic country girl.
Tina had developed an advanced skill of making me feel guilty and call her big sister with a sad face if I didn''t call her big sister.
That''s why I''m already calling her "Tina Sis (hey)" these days.
I''m sure you''ll find that swords can cut that fast. No faster than magic.
''Yeah. Magic is slow to activate, but a lot of it is powerful and large in scale.
I''ve trained my magic quite a bit, but.......as I said, magic is still slow to activate.
It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do with it.
From the bottom.
Lower level magic, intermediate magic, higher level magic, highest level magic, king level magic, spirit level magic, and god level magic.
It is said to be.
I''m not sure I''ll ever be able to get my hands on one.
It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
I''m sure you''ll be able to find a good deal more than you''re used to. I think I''ve made progress.
But as I said before, intermediate magic is also a bit slow to activate, so if that''s the case, slashing with a sword is much faster.
''Yes, this is a towel. I kept it cold.
"Thank you, Sister Tina.
Tina magically cools the towel with water, and I take it and wipe the sweat off my face.
The cool towel cools my blazing face. It feels really good to do this after you''ve worked up a sweat.
This kind of attention to detail makes me feel like a really big sister, and I know I can count on it.
Me and Tina are chatting a bit in the garden when my dad comes in, making noisy footsteps in the garden.
''It''s Eric! I''m going into the woods now! Are you following me?!
'' Yeah, I''m going.
A little while ago, my dad started taking me into the woods with him.
He managed to convince my mom, and the conversation ended with a compromise from her, if only to watch my dad do his hunts.
But....don''t tell your mother, but I hunt demons as usual.
I told my dad that I wanted to fight demons too, because I knew that if I went into the forest, I wouldn''t be training to hunt demons.
''That''s my boy!
I said and agreed in two words. As expected, my dad doesn''t tell my mom that I''m hunting demons, but........
''''Uncle Dian, I want to go too!
''Mmm! Well.....
Dad thinks as he strokes the stubble on his chin.
Actually, Tina has been wanting to go to the forest for a while now, but both my mom and Tina''s mother are fiercely opposed to this.
That''s why Tina has never been in the forest.
''Uncle ... no?''
Mmmm...!
Tina asks her dad to look up at her from below. Inevitably, she''ll be looking up, so she''ll look awesome and cute to my dad.
She''s been doing this to me quite a bit lately, so I doubt she''s really doing it unconsciously.
''Okay! I''ll take you there! Don''t tell your mother and the others.....
My dad decided to take Tina with him, probably because of her cuteness. He told me not to tell me and Tina as he was butt-hurt.
''Yeah! Thanks Uncle!
Tina laughs happily and promises, too. I''m not going to tell my dad that I''m defeating demons, either. I''m not going to tell him.
''''Alright then let''s go quietly and try not to be found.
Without the usual shouting and without making the usual sounds of footsteps as much as possible, my dad walks through the house and heads into the woods. Me and Tina follow him.
A few minutes of walking out of the house and we''ll soon be out of the fence surrounding the village.
''Alright, we should be okay if we get here! Let''s go, you two! Don''t let Tina''s little girl get away from me!
Yeah!
Then we walked into the woods, with my dad following behind us.
At first Tina seemed to enjoy skipping along, but then she sensed the atmosphere between my dad and I and began to quietly follow us.
My father, as usual, didn''t make any noisy footsteps or noisy voices, but proceeded through the forest, killing his breath.
As expected of a professional hunter. He knows how dangerous the forest is.
After walking for a few minutes - my father stopped walking. Tina, who was following him while looking around, was about to hit my dad''s back, so I stopped him by restraining him with my hand.
''''........Dad.''''
Yeah, two o''clock, 60-- Red Bear.
I had found the same demon. I feel Tina gasp as she looks in the direction of the demon next to me.
A red bear--.
It''s a bear demon covered in red body hair, and it''s about three meters long.
It''s also quite large in width, from me and Tina''s point of view, it seems to be about three times as big as us, even from a distance.
It''s not a good idea to have a red bear of that size so close to the village, we don''t know when it will come down to the village. We have to make sure we hunt it.......
''Well.........! Dad, the back of the house!
Hmm? d*mn it! ...a child.
I couldn''t see it because it was hidden in the shadow of the three-meter tall Red Bear, but behind it was a child about a foot taller.
That kid, Red Bear, was also bigger than me and Tina.
''It''s tricky. Red Bear, the parent who is protecting the child, has an even rougher temper. Watch out, boys. If you make the slightest noise--
--they''ll notice.
I knew that''s what my dad was going to say - and suddenly I heard a snapping sound behind me and my dad.
Me and my dad turn around in unison.
When Tina stepped back from the power of Red Bear, she stepped on a fallen twig.
"Hee--!
Maybe it''s because we all turned around at once, or maybe it''s because Tina was about to speak, but I stop her by covering her mouth with my hand.
After covering Tina''s mouth, I turn back to my dad.
My dad is observing Red Bear, pointing his palm at us and giving us a hand signal to stop.
''That was a close call........ It would have been a little awkward if they noticed.''''
How do you kill him?
I ask my dad as I remove my hand from Tina''s mouth.
''I''d really like to kill him with a long range attack but we don''t have that option. There was a fellow hunter who could use a bow, but we can''t bring him along now, can we?
My dad puts his hand to his chin and thinks about it. I wish I could get close enough to kill him in one fell swoop, but maybe he''ll notice me while I''m approaching and I won''t be able to kill him in one hit.
If you can''t kill it, it might go berserk and harm me or Tina.
"How about my sister Tina and I use magic to make a preemptive strike?
Hmm? Are you sure that''s a good idea? Can you reach that guy at this distance?
It may not kill you, but it can kill you.
Well Tina''s little girl, can you go?
Dad asks Tina that, who is a little frightened.
Tina doesn''t seem to be confident in her magic even though he says so, so she''s not sure what to do.
''Sister Tina, it''s okay. My sister Tina is better at magic than me, so be confident.
Eric....
If you fail, I''ll protect you.
Tina was looking straight into my eyes. I couldn''t see any more feelings of fright in her eyes.
''Yeah, okay. I''ll do it, Eric.
Okay, Dad.
I know. I''ll push you hard and you won''t be afraid to make mistakes.
Dad says and moves away from us, cautiously approaching Red Bear just in time.
Me and Tina prepare for the magic as my dad stops walking.
Me and Tina stand side by side and try to chant the magic but I can see Tina shaking next to me.
I quietly hold Tina''s hand and try to reassure her.
Tina turns to me, a little startled, but I see that she''s smiling.
Then Tina''s shaking stopped completely.
''Let''s go, sister Tina,''
Yeah!
--Me and Tina chant the magic name at the same time.
''''Blade Wind (Windsword)!
The two of us'' hair flies up, and the wind, which has become a blade, is shot out at Red Bear from sixty meters away.
At the same time we hear the sound of the wind slicing through the air, blood spurts out of Red Bear''s body.
Red Bear, a parent of three meters, had his body torn in half by the ''blade wind'' (windsword).
The child of about one meter in length had blood spurting out of his body, but it wasn''t enough to kill him.
The child, suddenly attacked by the mysterious attack, screamed in pain - and the next moment, he was startled by a nearby person and tried to run backwards to escape.
''I''m not going to let him get away! Hmph!
The father swung down the large sword he was holding as if to smash it from the upper level as hard as he could.
The big sword, which is bigger than the child''s Red Bear, cut Red Bear in half from the body.
The father confirms that the two bodies are doomed to die while being bathed in return blood.
''''Alright, it''s okay, you two!
With those words, me and Tina move closer to my dad.
The closer we get, the more the smell of blood increases.
''That''s my boy! He cut a big red bear in half! Not even I can break a prey of this size in half! Nice work, Tina''s little girl!
My dad compliments us on that but he''s making a big mistake.
"Dad, my magic hit the small one. It was my sister Tina''s magic that cut the big one in half.
What?
My dad looks very surprised and shouts out.
The ''Blade Wind'' (Windsword) that Tina and I shot.
It''s an intermediate level of wind magic.
It''s the same magic, but just because the magician is different, it makes a difference in power.
The one I fired only hurts the smaller one, while Tina''s is powerful enough to cut a large Red Bear in half.
Tina is still only learning intermediate magic, but her power and so on can reach advanced magic.
It''s a good thing that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about it.
I had practiced my magic before her.......it''s hard.
''''So that was it........''''
My father gave a little thought to this before he spoke to Tina.
"Tina''s little girl you''re not going to be a hunter in the future--
Don''t do it, Dad.
My dad tried to ask Tina to become a hunter, but she stopped.
''Why! I don''t care if it''s a girl, as long as she''s got powers! How''s that, Miss Tina!
Well no.
''d*mn I didn''t expect you to say it so clearly...''
That''s right ... no ordinary girl would take up such a bloody profession.
And my dad would drag the bigger Red Bear and I would drag the smaller one back to the village.
Even violent demons can eat the meat, so the village will be happy if we bring it back.
And when I return to the village through the forest, I can''t help but notice my father carrying a big Red Bear, so I''m immediately surrounded by everyone in the village.
''Hahaha! Everybody in the village! I''m looking forward to sharing some bear meat with you today!
Dad is shouting that out loud because he''s on a roll with everyone around him.
-- without realizing that my mom is approaching from behind with a horrible cold air.
''You...!
Hmm? Hee! Serena...!
Everyone in the village that surrounded my dad jumped back and scattered as soon as they saw my mom.
''''You''re telling me that you''re going to hunt such a dangerous demon while taking someone else''s daughter to the forest.......?''''
No, it''s not! This demon was so close to the village that I had no choice...!
''No excuses! Sit right there!
The man who came back with great enthusiasm carrying a three-meter demon was nowhere to be found - and he was nowhere to be found.