Five years had passed since then.
Before I knew it, I had turned sixteen—or rather, I was nearing my seventeenth birthday.
So, what was I doing now that I was sixteen?
“Hup… hup…!”
I was still practicing sword swings in front of the same rundown shack, just as I had for years. For over six years now, I’d been training my body without pause.
At first, my training had been solely for the purpose of being able to fend off bandits. But honestly, that wasn’t my motivation anymore.
Now, I trained purely for the joy of living in this world of Sword Fantasia.
Honestly, being an adventurer, defeating monsters in the area, and leveling up through alchemy—it was absurdly fun.
These days, my training wasn’t about preparing to repel bandits but about taking down powerful monsters that occasionally dropped rare items. Pure gamer logic.
And thanks to this gamer mentality, I’d grown incredibly strong. The local monsters were no longer a challenge, and my alchemy level had maxed out. There wasn’t a single alchemical item I couldn’t make, which meant my finances were in great shape too.
For the past five years, it felt like I’d been speedrunning Sword Fantasia, grinding levels and hunting monsters, and it had been a blast.
But it wasn’t all fun and games. There were tough times too.
For example, my father’s so-called magic training, which basically amounted to me being a punching bag. Ever since I reincarnated into this world, I’d spent six years enduring daily burns from the fiery magic cast by my father and younger brother.
As a result, my back was covered in burn scars. But I’d grown used to the pain, and now it barely fazed me.
In fact, I suspected that enduring their magic every day had given me a high degree of magic resistance.
…Wait a second.
(Does this mean… Seras’s maxed-out magic defense in the game was because of this?)
If so, that’s way too tragic for Seras.
But between my self-discipline, monster hunting, and serving as a punching bag for my father, my stats had improved significantly in both offense and defense.
“Well, I guess that’s enough for today.”
With that thought, I stopped swinging my sword and sheathed it, stretching my body as I reflected on the past five years.
(Hmm… but I feel like the bandit attack should be happening around now…)
In the game, Seras was attacked by bandits around the age of sixteen. That critical event should be happening soon, but the exact date wasn’t specified.
“Well, whatever… I’m pretty sure I can handle it now.”
With all the training I’d done, I was confident I could easily fend off bandits. The prospect didn’t worry me.
Honestly, what weighed on my mind more was my father. He was getting worse by the day.
In recent years, the Alphonse territory’s income had grown significantly, leading to a surge in taxes paid to the ruling Alfeid family.
Yet, despite this, my father hadn’t started supporting my living expenses properly.
Instead, he used the revenue to surround himself with young women, travel, and indulge in luxury. It was a life of debauchery.
My brother, Schwartz, had started following in his footsteps, reveling in the same hedonistic lifestyle. He’d recently lost his virginity by coercing a young maid, and his attitude had become even more insufferable.
“Wait, Brother, are you still a virgin?” Schwartz had sneered at me a while back. “A noble’s duty is to leave behind heirs, you know? And yet you’ve never even been with a woman? Pathetic.”
“If you’d like, I can introduce you to someone. Maybe an older woman in her thirties with no charm left? Because it’d be a waste to pair a worthless fool like you with a young, pretty girl. Pfft.”
That little punk had the nerve to mock me like that.
(Thirty isn’t old at all! Women in their thirties are at their peak—mature and incredibly attractive!)
I wasn’t offended by being called a virgin. What angered me was Schwartz’s ignorance about the appeal of older women.
“Ugh… well, a fifteen-year-old brat wouldn’t understand the allure of mature women…”
“Hmm? What wouldn’t I understand?”
“Ah, it’s— Wait, what!?”
I had been talking to myself, but suddenly, a voice from behind startled me.
Turning around in surprise, I found…
“Huh? L-Lady Rain? You’re back!?”
“Yes, I am. It’s good to see you, Seras.”
Standing there, poised and dignified, was Rain Alfeid—Schwartz’s mother and my stepmother.
