It had been a few days since I descended into the outside world.
However, most of those days were spent inside the house or in the garden.
I had been inside a cultivation tank for so long that being suddenly thrust outside was a big change.
Considering the burden on my body, my parents thought it was best not to push me too hard until I got used to it.
Since I didn’t have a strong reason to refuse, I went along with it.
However, that didn’t mean I was bored.
On the contrary, I could even say it was stimulating.
The world I saw for the first time was a rush of dopamine.
After all, a world I had only seen in games was now spread out before me as a reality.
The view from the garden was magnificent.
Uniform houses were densely packed together, and beyond them, I could even see a castle.
Our home was situated on a slightly elevated area, so I could see all of that at a glance.
To think that there was even magic in such a world made it impossible not to be excited.
In the distance, I saw something that looked like a tall castle wall surrounding the town. When I asked Kurt about it, he told me it was a magical barrier.
The magical barrier is a defensive wall imbued with protective magic, meant to guard the town from magical creatures.
It seems that low-level magical creatures can’t enter the town just because the barrier is there.
As for flying magical creatures, they are shot down using magic from towers that are built at equal intervals on top of the barrier.
It was an overly exaggerated structure, but the reason they put so much effort into defense was that magical creatures were indeed a threat.
These creatures see humans as food, and many lives have been sacrificed until now.
That’s why humans gather in one place and live in densely packed towns.
This makes it easier to protect people from outside threats and concentrate forces when going on the offensive.
For those reasons, the vast city-state of Felgaiya was formed.
This single town is a nation in itself, and there is even a king.
Trade with other countries occurs, but outside the barrier, magical creatures roam freely, making it a life-threatening endeavor.
Thus, it seems that food and other supplies are managed as much as possible within this country.
In any case, today I was going to the center of Felgaiya with Kurt.
We were going to the church to have our magical power assessed.
For me, this was my first time stepping outside my home’s garden, and I was filled with anticipation.
“Take care! Be careful!”
“Yeah, I’ll be back.”
“Bye-bye, Mama.”
With Diana seeing us off, Kurt and I passed through the gate of our home.
Looking back at Diana waving goodbye, I once again thought about how big my house was.
It was a long two-story house that was far too large for just the three of us, surrounded by a wide garden.
Even when I looked around, I couldn’t see any other house as big as this one.
It certainly felt like a noble’s residence.
Speaking of nobility, there was a carriage that had just stopped in front of us.
Though the town was vast, the fact that we were using a carriage to move felt very noble.
A refined-looking coachman opened the door of the wagon for us, and we climbed inside.
To my surprise, it was rather cramped, and I sat close to Kurt.
Before long, the carriage started moving smoothly.
The scenery seen through the carriage window changed rapidly as the distance between the houses was narrow.
Watching this, I realized that our home was quite spacious considering the limited land available.
After a while, a pleasant smell wafted through the window.
It smelled like some kind of herb and meat grilled over charcoal.
The aroma was so delicious that I couldn’t help but take a deep breath through my nose.
Seeing me do this, Kurt broke into a grin.
“It smells good, right? That’s the smell of the skewers from Ottmar’s shop. The skewered winged rabbits they serve there are incredibly tasty. Let’s go eat there together sometime.”
“Yeah!”
Imagining the taste, Kurt shivered with excitement.
Just seeing him like that was enough to tell me that the shop would be a hit.
The first thing I ate after coming out of the cultivation tank was Diana’s home-cooked meal.
It was incredibly delicious, so I had high hopes for that shop as well.
I didn’t know what a winged rabbit was, but I was assured that my taste buds were the same as those of the people in this world, so I felt at ease.
I was looking forward to it.
I wondered what it would taste like.
Just as I was filled with excitement about it, I suddenly felt a change in the air around us.
What had been calm was now taut with tension.
For a moment, I thought it might be my imagination, but it didn’t seem to be so.
When I looked next to me, I saw Kurt’s expression had shifted from relaxed to tense.
“What’s wrong?”
I cautiously asked, and he spoke without turning his gaze towards me.
“Listen carefully. No matter what happens, make sure to hold on tight.”
“…Okay.”
Just from that, I understood something bad was about to happen.
I adjusted my posture to cling tightly to the seat.
At that moment, Kurt closed his eyes.
He seemed to be concentrating, spreading his senses around us.
However, his eyes quickly flew open.
“There!”
Suddenly, Kurt reached toward the ceiling of the carriage.
In that instant, a pentagon of light appeared in his hand.
Oh!? That’s…!
I almost shouted out, recognizing that shape from somewhere.
The moment I thought that, bright red flames erupted, tracing the outline of the pentagon.
The flames rapidly expanded and blew the ceiling of the carriage off.
“Sharaaah!”
Immediately after, a scream that sounded otherworldly echoed.
“Did I miss?”
As soon as Kurt muttered that, the carriage shook violently.
“Whoa!? I’m going to fall!”
Thinking that, I desperately clung to the seat.
Perhaps the shock had startled the horses.
“Huh!? Hiiiiii!”
A scream came from the coachman in front.
Kurt leaned out the window to check outside.
Curious, I peeked through the gap to look in the same direction.
What caught my eye was a massive, dark figure.
When I saw its entire shape, I was astonished.
“Wha—?”
It was a gigantic ant.
It was nearly two meters long.
It was running alongside the carriage at an incredible speed, its many legs clattering.
“It’s a low-level magical creature. Why is it in the middle of town…?”
Words escaped Kurt’s mouth.
Is that a magical creature?
It was completely different from what I had imagined.
When I thought of magical creatures, I only imagined slimes, goblins, skeletons, and the usual fantasy tropes, so this was a surprise.
The giant black ant was moving its sharp jaws, making a sound like metal grinding together.
It seemed to be preparing to jump at us.
The coachman was so terrified that he almost lost control of the horses, but Kurt shouted.
“Don’t stop! Keep going!”
“Y-Yes!”
As the carriage continued to run, Kurt drew his sword from his waist.
“I guess this suits me better.”
Muttering that, he suddenly kicked open the carriage door.
What is he planning to do?
“Papa…?”
“It’s okay. Just stay still.”
He smiled gently at me, then leapt out of the carriage.
I immediately rushed to the window.
Then, I saw Kurt soaring through the air, sword aimed at the back of the black ant.
“Ignite!”
The moment Kurt murmured that, the pentagon appeared from his hand and quickly connected its sides, multiplying in a chain reaction.
As the pentagons multiplied and enveloped the sword, crimson flames erupted along its length.
“Flame Slash!”
Simultaneously with his descent, he slashed the black ant’s body with the flame-covered sword.
“Shagyaaaaaah!”
At that moment, a deathly scream rose up.
The giant black ant was cut in two.
It immediately burst into flames and turned to ash.
Incredible…
So this is what a magical warrior is like.
As I marveled, Kurt approached the now-stopped carriage.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“I see.”
He said that and patted my head.
Wow, Kurt really was strong.
So that’s magic.
Can I do something like that too?
“Papa, you were cool!”
“Hm? Right? Right? Papa is cool. Hehe…”
Kurt leaned back with a smug expression.
His earlier cool demeanor was completely ruined.
But it was amusing, so I decided to flatter him a bit more.
I made a circle with my fingers like before and showed it to Kurt.
“From your hand, all this came out, and it was amazing!”
“…!”
As soon as I said that, I could tell Kurt’s expression froze.
Where had the relaxed atmosphere gone?
Did I say something wrong again?
“Nero… you…”
Kurt looked at me as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Then he asked.
“Can you see the magic marks…?”
Huh?
