Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Growth Arc (4)
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Mana lanterns, those magical lighting tools, hung along the walking paths, casting a soft glow that illuminated the night.
Insects swarmed toward the light, but none were visible—probably some other enchantment at work.
"Since Roin suggested it first, it must be a good idea."
"Ahaha, I ate too much and wanted to walk it off a bit."
My stomach was full, but I also had something to ask Grandmother.
To make it feel like a natural conversation rather than an interrogation, I'd suggested a nighttime stroll.
'Now, where to start...'
I began by lightening the mood with some casual small talk.
"Grandmother, during today's magic aptitude test, it said that after circulating mana, the mana coat activates. What does that mean?"
At my question, Grandmother picked up a somewhat long stick from the edge of the path.
"Seeing is faster than telling. Roin, try hitting my arm with this stick? It's not dangerous at all, so swing hard. Trust your grandmother."
She handed me the stick and rolled up her sleeve, exposing her bare skin.
I took it hesitantly, but it felt wrong.
No matter what, how could I hit Grandmother's arm?
...But I'm the type who listens well. If told to pull a door, I pull; if to push, I push. Since Grandmother said so, it'd be fine.
—Whoosh
—Ting
The swung stick collided not with skin but a transparent barrier, producing a clear 'ting' sound.
'Oh, so that's it.'
"This is the mana coat. It forms a layer of mana over the skin to block contaminants or protect the body."
"So, with just a mana coat, you won't get hurt?"
"It shatters under strong impacts, so it's not perfect. Durability and maintenance vary by one's mana control proficiency, so stability differs from person to person."
It felt like a mana shield.
The more I learned, the more this fantasy world felt real.
"Mana coats can be consciously or unconsciously activated or deactivated as needed. For example, if it's on during a shower, water couldn't touch your skin, so you'd unconsciously deactivate it."
"Got it. It reacts right to the purpose."
"Even when you're asleep, if I stroke your cheek, you'd feel skin, not the mana coat. That's an unconscious deactivation too."
What a convenient feature. It almost seemed like the creator of this world had made it too user-friendly.
Or maybe not—like how you breathe through your mouth if your nose is blocked during sleep, the mana coat was just a natural part of the body in this world.
With the mood sufficiently warmed by the informative chat, I decided to get to the real point.
"Grandmother, today while I was out alone, I overheard some people talking."
"Oh, you've never gone to such crowded places before. What did you hear?"
Seeing her expectant expression made me feel inexplicably guilty.
"...It was about you and me. Um, basically, they seem worried about me learning magic. And for some reason, I can't go to other villages in the forest, and because of me, you can't even return to where you used to live..."
Was it too sudden a topic? Grandmother seemed flustered and just listened silently.
"At first, I thought people avoided me because I'm a half-blood with short ears, different from them, and they felt repulsed. But I'm realizing it's not that. There's fear or discrimination toward me, or rejection of half-bloods."
Grandmother reacted quickly to my last words.
"No, nothing like that. Who said such things?"
"I just overheard people talking as I passed by and thought about it myself."
I didn't mention the curt magic unit guy's words or the parents hiding their child.
Too many details would just make Grandmother sad.
Even though I'd softened it considerably, her face was already steeped in sorrow.
She was probably recalling how I'd stopped going out more and more.
There had been plenty of times when a child's emotions overwhelmed me, and I couldn't control my expressions well.
"Roin, nothing like that. It's just... a long time ago... a half-blood did something very bad. People know you're not that half-blood, but the memory of that incident lingers so strongly that they act foolishly."
That must have been the 'unerasable memory' the people in front of the workshop mentioned.
It seemed to be about a past half-blood.
Since I was the first in hundreds of years, that one must have been born centuries ago too. But which era's memory were they talking about?
And what terrible thing had that half-blood done...
I was curious, but the deep sadness on Grandmother's face—the deepest I'd ever seen—stopped me from pressing further.
There'd be another chance later. Knowing wouldn't change anything anyway.
After that, we walked the path in silence.
The sadness didn't leave Grandmother's face.
I needed to change the mood.
"I want to grow up quick and serve the village. Then people will recognize me, right?"
Forcing my lips into a smile and acting cheerful, Grandmother's face finally brightened with a smile.
"Of course! Roin is such a fine young man; it'll happen soon enough."
Seeing her beaming smile, I mustered the courage to say the words I'd been saving.
"Yeah! Grandmother, I'm always grateful. I love you."
"Oh, me too, Roin. I always cherish and love you."
It was the first time I'd expressed it like that.
It felt cringey and embarrassing, but my feelings were sincere.
Watching joy spring to her face, I resolved to do it more often.
'Past lives or whatever, let's live faithfully in the present.'
For the grandmother who cherished me, I'd work even harder to earn the village's recognition.
First, mastering blue magic quickly and raising my proficiency would let me help with village tasks using various support spells.
"Grandmother, how do I learn more blue magic? I want to help the village soon."
"That's the right attitude. Magic is taught apprentice-style... so you'll need a teacher. Starting tomorrow, I'll look for someone who can be your instructor."
"Yes, thank you, Grandmother."
With our warm conversation concluded, we returned from the walk, washed up, and went to bed.
Ten years passed after that, and I turned twenty.
'...It's already been ten years since I started learning magic.'
I let out a short sigh.
Grandmother had searched for a magic teacher, but no one would teach me.
Was that what the elders' report of 'subject requiring surveillance' meant? All sorts of negative thoughts flooded in, but in the end, I had to accept reality.
'What can I do if I don't accept it?'
A powerless child couldn't change the situation, and ignoring reality only made the future uncertain.
As I gradually adapted to reality, time slipped by, and before I knew it, I was a twenty-year-old adult.
Yet my physical development was surprisingly slow compared to my age.
To be precise, my height had grown fully, but secondary sexual characteristics hadn't kicked in. According to Grandmother, it was a long-ear trait.
"Long lifespans mean secondary traits come late. Usually starting between 25 and 28, with rapid changes over a few days. Then aging slows dramatically for centuries."
My body was following the long-ear growth curve.
At twenty, only my height was fully grown—no beard, no armpit hair, not even voice change.
Grandmother, over 500 years old, looked early thirties, confirming aging slowed after that.
'I worried being half-blood might differ, but it hasn't.'
Unnecessary concern. The subtle anxiety in my chest eased.
Meanwhile, in the city-state of Vera, closest to the Rock Forest.
In a deep third-floor room of a certain building, a woman sat alone.
Her gaze fixed on a strange box on the table, she spoke in a cold, clipped tone as if conversing with someone.
"Have you reached the forest entrance?"
A calm male voice emanated from the round device at her ear.
「Yes, waiting for the guide to meet the trading caravan.」
"Contact via communicator the moment you spot the long-ear half-blood. I'll send a high-speed magic carriage."
「Understood.」
With each exchange, the table's box—the 'communicator'—pulsed faintly with bluish-green mana light.
"Remember all the traits?"
「Name: Aroin. Age: 20. Short ears, but otherwise long-ear appearance. As of 20 years ago, lives with grandmother.」
"That's 20-year-old info; they might have moved. If not found, devise a plan using the Magren Merchant Guild to check other villages."
「Yes, understood.」
"Need anything else?"
「No.」
"Communication end."
—Hum
She set the round handset down on the communicator, and the bluish-green mana light faded with a small sound.
She pushed the communicator aside, pulled a ledger from the drawer, took a pen, and resumed her ongoing sorting work.
As if the call had never happened, utterly emotionless.
"Roin, today the Aria Kingdom's trading caravan arrives. Stay inside like always, okay? It'll be stuffy, but just one week. Sorry."
Grandmother's words before leaving in the morning.
Every three months, the Magren Merchant Guild's caravan from Aria Kingdom visited the Rock Forest.
Normally, forest entrants lost their way via magic, looping in place—but they were the sole exception, guided in for trade with the forest community.
And each time, I had to stay hidden indoors to avoid their eyes.
'Gotta hide me since I'm special.'
I calmly composed myself today too.
'Special my ass—more like a troublesome liability.'
...Needed some mind control.
Originally, it was a ban on outsiders and youth under 60 contacting them.
But now all sorts of thoughts arose.
Probably because of that guy who did 'very bad things'? Maybe his crimes targeted not just long-ears but other races, or there was some reason I couldn't be seen.
'...Pointless speculation. Better practice magic and read.'
Over the past ten years, I'd skipped the education unit's youth classes, studying only from Grandmother's books.
The reason was obvious: despite her wishes, I was ostracized.
Still, I'd grinned and toughed it out.
Everything was because of me, and Grandmother was always apologetic and pained—I had no choice.
'Herbology, botany, traditions, mineralogy... What kind of growth-period curriculum is this?'
Sensing the different educational philosophy from my past life, I substituted with books.
Thus, without stepping outside for days, the week finally ended.
Afternoon past noon.
As usual, repeating Warms to train magic, waiting for mana recovery while reading.
—Ting
'Huh?'
My mana coat vanished entirely in an instant.
Startled, as I turned, a brutish hand clamped my mouth and wrapped around, restraining me completely.
"Mmph— mmph—"
The grip crushed my lips, cheeks, and jaw; only muffled sounds escaped.
Struggling with my whole body yielded nothing against the iron hold.
Suddenly, stinging pain shot through my left arm.
'Stabbed by something!'
Unable to resist in my pinned state. Couldn't even see the face—just felt a burly man's build.
'Consciousness...'
The pain suggested an anesthetic or sedative injected.
I tried to hold out, but my frail mind offered no resistance.
Consciousness plunged into darkness.