Black Cat Chapter 17: After the Battle
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“Really, you’ve done something unreasonable.” (Zeol)
“Sorry……” (Nyango)
As soon as I woke up
and realized that I wasn’t at home, Mr. Zeol got mad at me.
I apologized
reflexively and thanks to that I understood the situation, but he could have at
least said well done.
“Miguel and the others are safe, but your left eye is blinded…”
(Zeol)
“Is that so……” (Nyango)
Half of my face is
still covered with bandages, it is an unusual pain, and although I was half
prepared for it, it was a shock to be confronted with it once again.
The loss of vision in
the left eye would create a large blind spot and make it impossible to get a
sense of distance.
If I had been a
skilled adventurer, I would probably be able to continue my adventuring
activities even if I lost sight in one eye, but with my lack of combat
experience, I was not sure if I would be able to continue as an adventurer.
“Can I still become an adventurer?” (Nyango)
“There are one-eyed adventurers… but to be honest, they have it pretty
tough.” (Zeol)
I was expecting words
like, “Don’t worry, I’ll train you…” but I guess Mr. Zeol can’t
give me hope to escape from reality.
At my age, I can
choose another profession and start over and over, and there’s no reason to
stick with being an adventurer.
“You’re not going to give up, are you?” (Zeol)
“Eh… how?” (Nyango)
“How many years do you think I’ve been an adventurer? How many
adventurers do you think I’ve seen? How can anyone give up on their dreams that
easily?” (Zeol)
“Ugh…” (Nyango)
The remaining vision
of the right eye is distorted by the tears that are overflowing.
In my previous life,
I died in a terrible accident and was reincarnated, and I learned that the
small body of a catkin was not suitable for my wishes even in this life, but
even so, I couldn’t give up on my dream of becoming an adventurer.
“If you can’t give up, go after it. You just have to start all over
again.” (Zeol)
“Yes…” (Nyango)
“But for now, rest. First, heal your body, and everything will
start from there.” (Zeol)
“I understand.” (Nyango)
“Oh right, keep using the Body Enhancement until you fall asleep.
Your wounds will heal faster.” (Zeol)
Mr. Zeol patted me
gently on the shoulder and left the room.
I thought I had slept
a lot, but sleepiness soon overtook me.
Before falling
asleep, I spread the magic element all over the blood vessels in my body.
I felt the pain of my
wounds and bruises seem to have faded, even if only from my mind.
The room in which I
was lying was also a room in the village chief’s house.
The next time I woke
up, my mother in this cried a lot.
I had thought that
she was not affectionate, but it seems that she was not very good at expressing
her love.
“I’m sorry for worrying you.” (Nyango)
“It’s true. If Nyango had died, I would have sent that little fool,
Miguel, to the other side of the world.” (Mother)
No, it’s good that
you show your affection, but don’t do it in front of Miguel’s grandfather, the
village chief, or in front of Miguel himself, so please stop.
“Nyango, thank you for saving Miguel’s life. Zeol told me that if
you hadn’t fought, the door to the charcoal hut would have been breached and
the three of them wouldn’t have survived. Thank you so much.” (Chief)
“No, I was just being reckless…” (Nyango)
“You’re so badly injured trying to save Miguel. This won’t make up
for it, but if it’s okay with you, why don’t you come work at my place? You
could help Mr. Zeo and it would be a great help to us.” (Chief)
If the village head
would hire me, I would have no trouble making a living, but I wanted to see
more of the world outside the village, but I couldn’t just shake my head.
“Let me think about it for a moment…” (Nyango)
“Well, I won’t force you to, but think about it. Miguel, say thank you
too.” (Chief)
Miguel, who was
waiting next to the village head, had a complicated expression on his face.
He was honestly happy
that their lives were saved, but he probably didn’t like the fact that I was
the one who played a leading role in saving their lives.
“Hey, you did a good job. Grandpa says he’ll give you a job that
even a one-eyed man like you can do, so be thankful. …Ouch!” (Miguel)
“You stupid little brat! How dare you talk to the person who saved your life!
I will have Julio disown you and throw you out of the village!” (Chief)
The village chief
dropped his fist hard, and Miguel thanked me reluctantly.
Although the offer to
help Mr. Zeol was tempting, I politely declined after thanking them since I
would have to see Miguel every day if I were to work in the village chief’s
house.
Because I had used
body enhancement magic, my wounds healed faster than I expected, but my
eyesight did not return.
The marks gouged out
by Kobold’s claws also remained, leaving three indelible marks.
If a burly brother
had a similar wound, he would probably have fought a mighty monster with his
life on the line and would be in awe, but as a catkin, people would just think
that I had barely escaped with my life. This totally ruined my handsome face
and beautiful coat.
In the end, the
village chief gave me sacks of flour, Dalles’ parents gave me potatoes,
Kimball’s parents gave me honey, and I returned to my old life.
My father complained
to me about why I didn’t work for the chief. I told him that I would not catch
any more Forest Mouse or fish, and he quieted down.
Although I have
returned to my normal life, being unable to see in my left eye is still quite an
inconvenience.
I failed many times
to catch Forest Mouse, which I was used to catching, because I couldn’t get a
sense of distance.
The narrowing of my
field of vision forced me to be more cautious when entering the mountains, and
although it was not a traumatic experience, the memory of Kobold’s attack made
my body tense.
I guess I will have
to get used to this area gradually.
On the other hand,
there are some things that are not affected much by my left eye.
[Step] is not a
problem since I trained myself to be able to trigger it to the location of the
foot I step forward.
[Thumbing] is not as good
because I can’t get a sense of distance, but I can aim, so it should be fine.
[Shield] is less
precise in where they are deployed, but they are still as strong as ever, and I
was able to equip [Armor] without any problems.
In hindsight, if I
had been able to deactivate [Armor] and deploy [Shield] when I was hit by the
Kobold’s blow, I might not have had to lose my sight.
When Kimball threw a
stone at me, I was able to deploy [Shield] as quickly as I could, but I was
probably too distracted by the attack on Kobold, who was scratching at the
door, to react.
As well as improving
the accuracy and deployment speed of the magic I had learned so far, I also
wanted to learn a new kind of magic.
That is detection
magic.
What I feel when I
use void magic is a sensory connection with the objects I create.
For example, when I pierce
a fish with a spear, with an ordinary spear, I feel the sensation in my hand,
but with a spear made of void magic, I can feel the tip of the spear as it
pierces the fish.
Although I cannot
feel the heat, cold, or even pain, it feels as if I am directly touching it
with my hand.
I am considering the
possibility of using this characteristic to create magic that would allow me to
probe situations in places I cannot see.
Specific methods are
still under consideration, but for example, small granular objects could be
moved in a row at narrow intervals to probe the shape of objects through the
sensation of touch, or a thin membrane could be used to detect sound through
vibration.
Ultimately, I hope to
make it possible to capture images so that they can be used to compensate for
the blind spot in the left eye or used in combination with sound detection to
probe the enemy’s situation.
I would also like to
be able to use Body Enhancement magic in combination with attribute magic, so I
was considering partial enhancement.
However, the
efficiency of taking magic elements into the body is also a factor in combining
it with attribute magic, and I need to increase the amount of magical power
that can be used anyway.
When I registered at
the Adventurer’s Guild in Ibouro, I was given a magic index of 32, about
one-fourth that of the average adult man.
I have been training
in magic every day for more than half a year since then, and my magic index
must have improved, but there are no guilds in Atsuka village, let alone magic
tools that can be used to determine my magic index.
I would like to go to
the town of Ibouro to measure it, but I feel that if I have not grown as much
as I thought I would, I might lose my desire to become an adventurer.
Above all, the
thought of not being at all close to Horacio, who at the time of the Nest Leaving
Ceremony had a magic index nearly 15 times greater than mine… This does not
inspire me to go to the city.
“Horacio, I wonder if you’re doing well…” (Nyango)
According to Mr. Zeol’s
story, there is an exam every year at the knight training school to screen out
the candidates.
The first time the
school will be trimming is next spring, and usually, they are not allowed to
return to their home until they have completed three years of training.
If they return before
that time, their path to knighthood will be cut off, and it is said that only a
quarter of all knight candidates become apprentices after completing the
five-year training period, and less than one-tenth of all knight apprentices are
officially knighted.
However, it is said
that even if the path to knighthood is cut off, there is still a path for a
professional soldier.
The difference
between a knight and a professional soldier is whether or they are allowed to have
a mount, but there is also a big difference in the salary paid by the kingdom.
Well, I don’t want to
live the rich life, nor do I want to experience the world of a straight-laced
knight.
I just want to enjoy
the life of a carefree adventurer.
“To do that, I only need to train… While using Body Enhancement, [Step]!”
(Nyango)
I’m not sure if the
people around me know, but today I continue to walk the path to becoming an
adventurer, using magic.
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