It was a rare day for the southern part of the Threefold Empire, with the snow piling up deeply. My siblings and I clung to the living room fireplace like overwintering insects.
It’s cold. Our house, made of wood and stone, cannot be called well-insulated by any stretch of imagination. It’s somewhat better than being fully exposed to the wind, but it’s still cold enough to make one’s fingers and toes freeze. I wondered, with the heavy rain on the day of our departure, why does every impromptu decision of mine seem to lead to these irregularities?
The warmest spot in front of the hearth is reserved for the babies. If the weakest children are not properly warmed, they could easily pass away to the gods.
The second best spot is for the pregnant brides. Women who carry the next generation are especially cherished in the Threefold Empire. It’s not the kind of “complete rest” that keeps them caged like birds, but rather they receive the finest of everything from food to their seating.
Next, our father, the head of the household, takes the last remaining warm spot, with mother close beside him. The rest of us siblings have to fight for whatever warmth remains, grabbing it as if competing against each other.
…Hmm? Father should be Heinrich right now, so why does he have such a bad position? Did he mess up during my helmet-breaking celebration at the wedding, and that’s still coming back to bite him now?
While pondering this, I inspected the finish of the wooden statue I was whittling as a side job.
For exemplary manor residents like us, the winter occupation is always side work. We stay indoors, chased by the biting wind, and while grumbling about the high fuel costs, we work on crafts under dim lights, unable to rest even though we can’t till the fields. Farmers don’t have free time, even in winter.
The wooden statue I carved resembles a golden-haired, bountiful beauty, modeled after the God of Fertility. By my standards, it’s decent enough. Thanks to the “Favored Child,” I’ve grown in detail-oriented craftsmanship, but the “Critic’s Eye” labels it as a “minor masterpiece reliant on superficial talent,” a fairly awkward critique.
With skills not honed purely through “Gleaming Finesse,” this is about the level one might attain. While such pieces may trade at handsome prices for a while, they’re the kind that won’t last through the ages, often lost to history.
Still, as a side job, it suffices. It should cover the price of my winter lodging.
Just as I work on wooden statues every winter, my brothers carve new handles for farming tools or daily necessities, while my mother and sister-in-law are busy mending clothes. In this era, fabric is expensive, so making clothes for the family or to sell in town is primarily a woman’s work.
Because of the high value of clothing, a woman’s culinary and sewing skills are the most important traits, while beauty comes in third, or so they say.
“Ah, but you know…”
Among the family doing quiet work, Hans, who was always doing something particularly dull, voiced a heartfelt sentiment.
“Hey Erich, every winter you don’t seem to come back, huh?”
My brother, who was meticulously inscribing words onto parchment for a copy, spoke with a strangely emotional tone. It must be due to the primitive magical light source I created, which floats at the center of the room.
“Ah, indeed, it saves on the firewood for the hearth…”
Mother, resting her cheek on her hand, exhaled deeply with the weight of a housewife’s toil. The fire currently burning brightly in the hearth does not use firewood as fuel. It’s an old-school flame magic from my sorcery, one that would make them scoff at the Magic Academy.
“We finish the laundry in no time with it, too.”
“And the broken roof got cleaned up really well.”
My brother and his spouse, without stopping their side jobs, continued to talk about how the other day, when I had nothing to do, I used “<Purify>” on all the laundry at home and washed the greasy, old clothes. They must be referring to when father accidentally broke a roof edge and I fixed it casually with “<Invisible Hand>.”
“I can clearly see why nobility would want to keep a magician around. Even just cleaning a house has two male servants, so I wondered how massive mansions are maintained…”
Thanks for the comment coming from my third elder brother, Michael, who has married into an affluent family. But, are you allowed to come back this often? You’re here to listen to my Imperial Capital tales, yet it seems your sense of being the husband to a wealthy family falls slightly short, doesn’t it?
Ah, not that…
“Please don’t treat me like a convenient servant despite my best efforts in good will.”
The way I’m treated makes me feel a bit tired. I know they don’t mean it seriously, but…
It’s simply to alleviate the monotony of silent work. That’s all. They’re just choosing topics for casual conversation.
“Magic really is amazing, isn’t it? Hey, Mina?”
“Yes, I would certainly like to learn and use it too if I could.”
Thinking there wasn’t a need to keep it a secret from family, I somewhat overdid it, teaching them more than I probably should have. It wasn’t because I was worried that the family would become arrogant with magic being commonplace, but because after I go on adventures, it’ll be hard for them to forget the luxury they’ve once had. Hence such discussions came up, though I don’t have any bad feelings about it.
“Will Eliza also come back with such magical abilities?”
“Well, if she returns, will she help us out like Erich?”
“Don’t joke, Mother. Did you not hear from Erich? By the time you can freely move around, you might even be among the nobility.”
While my second brother is carefree, it seems my third brother, who interacts with the upper classes, is far more serious about the matter. He scratches his temple with his quill pen. It’s probably because he’s planning on working under the deputy next spring and understands noble culture quite well.
Thus, he knows the difference between someone who holds a noble title and someone who does not.
Even if one is family, we must not address lightly those who later achieve noble rank. Even with familial ties, one must still call them with proper honorifics.
This isn’t due to personal feelings but is enforced by the state itself.
Even if given permission by the person, noble society will not tolerate it. If noble lineage is seen as being belittled, it can cause cracks in the state and ultimately lead to questioning the weight of the empire’s three-legged cauldron.
One can only casually interact in a small room without others present.
This would be tough for her, as she loves her family very much.
Though… it’s not like there is no way around it…
“Maybe it’ll be best if Erich can freely use magic like now?”
“Magic!?”
Responding to the sister-in-law’s nostalgic remark, an eager child’s voice rang out.
The source was a child sleeping on Mina’s lap as she mended clothes. The eldest son of my brother and his spouse, who had bestowed upon me the title of “Uncle,” a three-year-old boy full of boundless life energy, who keeps us on our toes constantly.
His name is Hermann. Inheriting his father’s vitality and Mina’s clear looks, if he were in a previous life, he might’ve been a sought-after child actor. For Hermann, who had never encountered magic before, his eyes shone so brightly at the sight of it that they practically sparkled. He looked up at me with big eyes and asked hesitantly, “Uncle, show me magic?” Truly, could he be the second cutest person in this world after Eliza? Yes, I indulged my foolish uncle instincts, showing various kinds of magic.
As a result, he became incredibly sensitive to the word “magic.” He had been sleeping soundly on his mother’s lap, but it seems he could no longer bear it as the word “magic” continued to be said frequently.
Looking up at the gentle light emanating from the source in the center of the room, he gazed intently with wide eyes full of wonder. Receiving such unreserved admiration makes one feel slightly embarrassed, but deep down, it’s heartwarming and endearing.
The magical light source emits a soft warm glow reminiscent of a 40-watt bulb. To someone only familiar with candle or lantern light, it must seem incredibly bright and easy on the eyes.
It neither flickers nor casts any shadows onto the workspace below due to its high position. In the imperial capital, this kind of magical item is relatively cheap from the perspective of the nobles, but here in a rural southern area, it truly is an impressive magical creation.
Since everyone liked it so much, I’m considering creating something similar with the tools I have as a keepsake.
“Uncle, you’re amazing!”
“Is that so? Thank you, Hermann.”
The cheerful Hermann clinging to my legs reminds me of Eliza during her childhood. She used to cling to me this way when she started walking. As she grew up, she began to hold hands with me, but this kind of wholehearted reliance brought back memories of our precious times.
Since my nephew seems to admire magicians, when I have some free time from side work, I will craft a wand for him. Maybe I’ll infuse it with a simple enchantment, making it glow when he shouts and waves it around. Recalling the similar toy I bought for my niece in a previous life…
Ah, but if I make just one, his friends might get jealous. Perhaps I should mass-produce the kind of sword and shield toys I gifted to my brother when he was young. Nowadays, I can craft one in about half an hour, so I’ll make enough for all his friends to play adventurer games together.
A handsome sword, a sturdy shield, a long spear that makes one feel stronger just by holding it, a mysterious staff. Even though it’s pretentious but made with strings, a bow-and-arrow set. With this range of toys prepared, he will surely become immensely popular in the manor.
Feeling warm-hearted, I placed Hermann on my knee and then took my pipe to enjoy a brief smoking break. Using the “<Invisible Hand>” spell, I formed the “form” of the pipe smoke, and the smoke shaped as birds rose gracefully. Making the “hands” move subtly to mimic flight, Hermann clapped his hands in delight with his joyous laughter.
Apparently, his favorite magic is this. Do children always admire an adult’s smoke tricks? I remember pestering my grandfather to create smoke rings with his tobacco.
Incorporating my nostalgic feelings, I shaped and blew out the smoke into rings, between which the bird smoke gracefully glided. I narrowed my eyes as his applause grew stronger, hoping my magic would leave a lasting impression on his small memories.
“You could probably earn a living with just that of yours.”
“Rather than being an adventurer, why not just be a street performer?”
While tobacco smoke differs in harm compared to what we know, I released the smoke rings and bird outside through a slightly opened window for ventilation, and the twins again shared a rather casual opinion. The path of the performer isn’t as easy as they say.
“Idiots! Erich is chasing our dreams and has become an adventurer in our place! Don’t say such random things!!”
And here’s my brother, reprimanding them yet sharing a completely off-topic thought. I’m not pursuing anyone else’s abandoned dream.
“One day, a poet will come to this manor with Erich’s adventure tales! Yes, something like… ‘Erich of the Divine Sword’!”
“Isn’t that a blatant copy, that nickname?”
“Brother, your taste is showing. Could you come up with something more stylish?”
“Huh!? Don’t mock the Divine Sword Saga of Jeremiah or I’ll show you, even if we’re brothers!!”
It’s nice they’re getting excited, but my respected brothers, can you see that your spouses’ eyes are narrowing dangerously? Soon, we might be all forced to sit on the floor in punishment again. With all this noise, our eldest daughter, Nicholas, who was sleeping peacefully, might…
“Whaaaan!!!”
Unfortunately, as expected. The eldest daughter of my brother and his spouse, who was nestled by the warm hearth, woke up from her afternoon nap startled by the commotion and started wailing as if she had burst.
“Come on, Hermann, let’s head outside. You’ll be able to see bigger smoke magic out there.”
“Yeah! Let’s see it!”
Deciding to escape the impending scolding with nephew Hermann, I did not shield him this time. If anyone were to say I’m abandoning someone, let them say it. As I casually ignored such thoughts from my siblings, I amused Hermann with more smoke tricks outside.
“Hey, Erich…”
As I watched my nephew earnestly chase the ship-shaped smoke I launched, smiling warmly, my father, who seemed to also avoid the reprimand, had somehow appeared beside me.
“When do you plan to leave?”
“Hmm, I think I’ll go once the snow melts.”
I really want to help until the farming season ends, but since my destination is far, it would be best to leave early. It’ll take about a month to reach Marsheim of the Endere realm if traveling light, but with cargo and some leeway, about two months will be necessary.
Though school starts in spring, there’s no rule we must start then, but for a fresh start, spring feels right. There are no cherry blossoms here, but it’s natural to think of new students in April. I’ve also heard it’s good to leave home before the farming season begins so as not to get caught up.
“Ah, so that makes it about one to two months, then.”
“Yeah… This year, the God of Fertility’s holiday seems unusually long.”
It’s said that the snow is the bed where the God of Fertility rests after a hard year of work. With such a fine bed prepared, it’s likely the god will have a long rest. It will cause delays in plowing, but we can’t complain about the god’s vacation. We must simply hope for a fruitful return.
It’s said the autumn harvest will be richer than usual this year as compensation for the inconvenience.
“Hey, Erich…”
“What is it, Father?”
As I continued to produce new smoke shapes to entertain my nephew playing in the snow, my father spoke in an unusually serious tone. Surprisingly, he was also looking at me very seriously.
I straightened my back, anticipating some important announcement…
“I personally think that dancing with a sword is pretty cool, don’t you?”
Even you, Father…!?
———
[Tip] Nicknames, epithets, aliases. A rhetorical device that succinctly explains an individual’s deed. Heroes in tales of adventure often bear them, and the more glorious the deeds, the more epithets they tend to acquire. However, how the person himself may feel about them is entirely subjective.
Feeling energized after receiving some fan art, here’s the update.
The details can be found on Twitter.
We’re roughly wrapping up preparations for departure now.
Family descriptions were necessary to give depth, but I admit it has been dragged out a bit.
Ah well, it’s a web novel. There’s no length restriction, so go ahead and enjoy it.
It’s a bit troublesome for my future self, but no big deal.
I’m filled with such a strong desire to kill myself from when I wrote the first volume. Most of it’s a rewrite at this point…
