Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Growth Arc (1)
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‘Already six years have passed’
It's been six years since I reincarnated. Recently, I finally realized one important fact.
My ears are "short ears," different from the "long ears" people.
I had thought it was because I was still growing until not long ago.
But after seeing the long, pointed ears of a girl I encountered on the forest path, I knew something was wrong.
The moment I got home, I asked Grandmother.
Why weren't my ears long like the other kids'?
Grandmother hesitated at my sudden question for a moment, but then she seemed to steel herself and looked me straight in the eye.
"Yes, it's time I told you that story."
Grandmother spoke with difficulty, opening her mouth haltingly.
"Roin's mother was from the short ears race. Have you ever heard about them from anyone?"
"No, I haven't really talked to many other people until now."
At my words, Grandmother made a wistful, regretful face.
"Roin must have read about it in books to some extent. You know there are all sorts of races living outside the forest. The 'short ears,' called that for their short ears and short lifespans; the 'short stature,' who are small in height; and conversely, the 'tall stature' as well."
Grandmother paused for a moment before continuing.
"When we long ears turn sixty, it's our custom to leave the 'Rock Forest' here and go learn about the world of other races. Everyone spends about thirty years away. My son, Roin's father, did the same."
Leaving the forest at sixty to spend thirty years learning about the world.
The scale of time was still hard for me to grasp.
"But when he returned, he wasn't alone. There was a short ears woman with him, pregnant with a baby, her belly already swollen. We were so shocked back then—the whole forest was in an uproar. A long ear having a child with another race is something truly rare, unseen for hundreds of years."
"Hundreds of years?"
Amazed, I stared, and Grandmother nodded calmly.
"Yes, hundreds of years. Long ears inherently have a hard time having children with other races. Hybrids between other races are born often enough, but for us long ears, hybrids are historically rare. There haven't been any new ones born in the last several hundred years."
So what exactly am I?
I didn't know whether to feel relieved that there were precedents from hundreds of years ago or anxious about being this rare a being.
"So my ears are short because I'm a hybrid."
"That's right. The black hair, dark brown eyes, and apricot-colored skin all take after your father, while the short ears come from your mother."
The mystery was solved so easily.
From the further explanation that followed, I learned that Mother passed away after giving birth to me, and Father left the forest in shock from the loss.
This differed from what I'd heard as a child. Father hadn't gone off to earn money.
‘Usually, in stories like this, they soften it for kids or say something like "he's gone to make money and will be back after a hundred nights."’
Probably because I never showed longing for my parents or loneliness, Grandmother felt okay telling me straight. She must see me as very mature for my age.
"But Grandmother, a little while after I was born, I saw you arguing with some man. Was that my father?"
Is this extraordinary memory a trait of long ears or short ears?
I recalled a memory from right after birth, already over six years ago.
"Yes, that's right. It was a few days after you were born—the day he left the forest."
Thinking more about Father, I remember the face full of mixed emotions as he last looked at me.
Did he resent me for Mother's death as he gazed at me, or was it unbearable because I reminded him of her?
I couldn't know his feelings, but abandoning his child and leaving the forest was wrong.
He lacked parental responsibility and maturity.
Fortunately, there was someone who more than filled the void left by my parents with abundant love.
Grandmother always treated me with a gentle voice and never lost her smile. Thanks to her, I grew up without loneliness.
After sharing a few more stories about Father, I next asked about my memory.
"Is it normal to remember your own birth? Am I the weird one...?"
"Long ears have memories as outstanding as their lifespans. But remembering both good and bad isn't always a blessing."
I'd thought my memory was exceptional, but it turns out it's just innate to the race.
In other words, no special isekai reincarnation perk like "S-rank memory" just for me.
Of course not.
Several years passed, and I turned ten.
Lately, I'd been following Grandmother around the village more, taking in the sights.
I'd ventured into the village before, but after sensing people's reactions, I'd held back on going out.
People felt uncomfortable or awkward around me.
After experiencing that several times, I stayed home reading books instead of wandering far.
For example, kids my age would be playing fine among themselves, but when I approached, they'd shrink back or subtly step away.
I could read the subtle distance in their gazes.
Otherwise, when I waved from the window at passersby or nodded slightly upon meeting someone on the path, their responses were always just awkwardly strained smiles—nothing more.
‘Well, it happens.’
I wasn't deeply hurt. I figured it was because of my different "ears."
Negative thoughts crept in, but even in my past life, I'd turn them positive through mind control—or at least pretend to.
I did the same now. If others avoided me, I'd just enjoy myself alone.
But Grandmother must have pitied me for it, because on weekends she'd make snacks, take me out, and share them with everyone we met, creating connections between me and them.
Today was one such day.
We went as far as the outskirts of the village I'd never visited, taking in the daily life of this new area.
"Please have some of this."
When Grandmother spoke and I handed over the snack, the person received it awkwardly.
"Uh... ah, thank you."
He was a man holding a staff in front of a small sapling, about to do something.
After popping the snack into his mouth in one bite and resuming his work, Grandmother pointed at the sapling, as if telling me to watch closely.
"See, he's using Green Magic to promote the sapling's growth."
Magic—the first magic I'd seen since coming to this world.
Magic had been mentioned in the prologue, so I'd expected to see it someday.
‘So it's now.’
As he extended his staff forward and chanted a spell, a strange magic circle instantly formed at the staff's tip.
Soon, a blue glow poured out, flowing softly toward the sapling and enveloping it gently.
‘Oh, ooh...’
Magic—real magic, as I said before.
Not CG, but actual blue, mystical light appearing and moving before my eyes.
Like a kid discovering transforming robot toys. The most exciting moment since arriving in this world.
It wasn't even flashy attack magic, but encountering in reality what I'd only imagined was thrilling.
How to describe that blue glow?
It was like fine particles or transparent blue mist.
Anyway, that mystical feel was just too good.
While I admired it alone, the great wizard teacher had already moved on. The blue glow faded, but I stared blankly at the sapling a bit longer until Grandmother's words snapped me out of it.
"Roin must be seeing magic for the first time. What do you think? I can tell just from your face."
She smiled at me, looking a bit amused.
"Can I learn magic too?"
"Hmm, who knows. Aptitude tests are usually at fifteen, but with our Roin, it might be possible. Shall we try?"
To Grandmother, I must seem advanced for my age, smart and quick to understand.
Of course—with the mind of a black-hearted adult inside.
"Yes, please. The sooner the better."
"This is the first time I've seen Roin so enthusiastic. Alright. Hmm... we can probably do the test in three days. But actual mages are rare, so don't get your hopes up too much. Okay?"
"Yes."
This whole world is unknown to me. I hope I have magic talent.
As an Education Unit teacher, Grandmother's bookshelf held a truly diverse array of books.
I pulled out a book I'd read before called Basics of Magic and reviewed the fundamentals until the aptitude test.
‘Magic requires mana.’
From what I understood, mana was like air. Most animals, including humans, had it, and it accumulated in the mana core to the right of the heart through normal breathing.
‘Red Magic for attack, Blue Magic for support, Green Magic for nature, Purple Magic for technology, Holy Magic for healing.’
Magic was divided into five main types.
Talent manifested in only one of them.
I could tell how rare mages were.
According to Arcana Empire statistics quoted in the book, only one in a hundred had magic talent.
Among them, Purple Magic mages were the majority, while the others were far rarer.
‘That's insanely few.’
Seeing the numbers made my confidence wane.
But what can you do? Just give it your all.
Three days passed like that, and the day of the aptitude test arrived.