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Father looks angry.

It’s my first time seeing him like this. Although he always has this scary look that can seem angry to others… But I know my father… That is his natural expression. He doesn’t show his emotions often.

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But now he does.

“Are you not going to take that off?”

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Take what off?

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Oh my God! I’m still invisible!

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Wait… Does he think that the hood actually gives me this ability?

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Let’s roll with it.

I take it off.

“Sorry, Father.”

I’m gonna be scolded now…

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“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought you wouldn’t let me go…”

“But you haven’t even tried.”

“I did! Don’t you remember?”

“That was before you got your hood. And to be honest… I didn’t know it had such a function.”

Figures.

“You didn’t?”

“No. Its purpose is to protect you. I didn’t know exactly how. But it seems that it does it perfectly. Even I was surprised when I saw monsters coming to you, but unable to find you.”

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Wait. Did he see that?

“Father, did you follow me?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t tell that you went missing if I was asleep?”

It’s my chance!

“Well… I guess Papa is just that cool!”

“Guh, A-Anyway… About that master of yours…”

He knows about that too…

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Is he angry that I took a Master without his permission?

Then…

I won’t be able to learn from her anymore?

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And I won’t be able to play with Lance and Naty?!

I don’t want to spend my days in boredom!

“Father! I swear I won’t learn from her anymore! But please, don’t forbid me from visiting my friends!”

I unintentionally raised my voice.

“N-No, you are mistaken… It’s okay to learn from her… Her skills are a bit lacking to be your instructor, but… You can at least learn her swordsmanship as the base. So it will be easier for you to learn the Sword Style of our house..”

So I can still play in the evening!

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.

And it seems I really am a noble huh?

“Thank you! Papa!”

“Guh, I-I talked with your Master, and… She isn’t a bad person. I asked her to properly take care of you.”

Ooohh. That explains her behaviour on that day.

“But Father… What about the test?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. It’s even better now. I worried that the test will be too easy if you’ll find that village. But now, as there are no villages as close as that one, it will be much more challenging. On the day of the test, I will take away your hood and tell you about it in more detail then.”

…Better for who?

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“Okay, Father.”

“Let’s start our training.”

“Y-Yes!”

I thought I survived…

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.

But it seems new hell awaits…

.

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Some time has passed.

I continued to spend my evening with Lance and Naty. I trained hard but Lance never slacked off either. Our skills are basically on par with one another. Lance is a bit better in sword than me, but can’t properly use magic. Which is a shame, because he has much more magic capacity than me. But, on the other hand, Naty is much more proficient than even me. I can use only up to second circle spells, my mana amount binds me heavily. I mastered every wind spell and even some first circle spells of other elements. But I can’t use third circle spells yet. I asked Father the other day if I am ready for an F ranked elixir, so he checked my mana capacity with Magic Sphere. But it seems I am still not there yet. My knowledge of mana and magic is really good. I know shapes and positions for third and even fourth circle spells but can’t use them… Naty learned the fourth circle spells not that long ago right? It's unfortunate that Naty has Light affinity, she isn’t suited for fighting. And some time ago Father finally let me start my training in his Sword Style. It’s called Style of Ferocious Bear. It’s very hard to practise and requires a lot of muscle. One of its steps is swinging a sword made of stone. Which is hard to do… This style is mainly focused on attack, so it doesn’t really suit me, but if Father wants me to learn it, I’ll do so. Gerda says that I and Lance are almost done with learning her style. I can tell that it is far less polished than Fathers, but it’s still not bad.

Other than training, I had lots of fun. We played a lot of different games almost every day. I even taught them some games from my previous world. 

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It was fun.

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But all fun ends someday…

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I just turned 10.

We had a small party at Lance’s house. 

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Father baked a cake. 

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Is he a sword-wielding chef or something?

When Gerda heard who made the cake that she was eating, she almost fell from her chair.

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I didn’t have training that day so after we had fun I went home early to spend some time with Father.

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“Father I’m home!”

“You’re early… Did you have fun?”

“Yeah! But I also wanted to be with you for a bit today.”

“Guh, That’s… Sweet… But I have something you need to know.”

“What is it?”

“Your test is in 2 days…”

Finall…

“And you won’t be able to see your friends for a while.”

My mood plummeted instantly.

“Why!”

“You will be living in the city for a while.”

“B-But why? And you sound as if I will be living there alone…”

“You will. I have something I needed to do long ago.”

Father’s face is… Sad… But also determined.

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I have no say in this situation.

“But you don’t have to worry. I will check on you regularly, and I have an acquaintance there who will help you to some extent. And… You will opportunities to visit your friends. ”

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I guess that’s at least something.

“What city is it?”

“It’s City of Ganesh”

“The City of Magic?”

“Yes”

Hmm… The City of Magic Ganesh… We are living in the Kingdom of Gold or the Golden Kingdom. It’s quite big. And this city’s size is second only to the capital. Because it has a magical university in it. Kids from all over the Kingdom came there to learn magic. It’s fairly close to our current location. Only about 3 days on a horse… I have no horse… 

.

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And Ganesh huh?.. Sounds familiar…

“You’ll have no training tomorrow too. So you can relax or go and play.”

“Okay!”

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I will visit Lance and Naty to tell them about my departure.

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I came in the morning so there is nobody in the backyard. Let’s see… Only Naty seems to be in the house

“Naty! It’s me!”

I yell that as I go into the house.

She does her dishes.

“Hi, Darling…”

She… Has teary eyes…

“Did something happen?”

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“Yes…”

She proceeded to tell me what happened yesterday after I left.

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This will be the story so far from Naty’s perspective.

-Naty’s PoV-

My name is Naty.

I live with my family in a small village. Our family is ordinary. We have a caring mother, a caring father and a stupid older brother… And me… But I am not like them… I have a gift. I can tell when someone is lying. Only mother knows about it. She says it probably came from her. That she can too see through lies, but it uses a bit of mana so she doesn’t use it often. But… She was lying… She also told me to keep this power a secret from everyone. To not tell even father or brother about it… That was great advice… Time passed and I turned 5. I often heard the mother saying “I love you” to the father and vice versa… And that was not a lie. I was glad… Still am. But… They never told us that line… But it’s okay. Because… I am scared that it will be a lie… Without it, I will think that they do. And their actions show it. I can tell how much they care about us. But I still don’t ask any questions. Not about their past, not if they love us, nothing. I am scared to hear a lie… On one day it happened… He happened. I saw something lying on the ground. At that time I thought it was a log. But it was a boy with a pretty face but otherwise ordinary… Except he wasn’t… Even when introducing himself, he lied… That’s why I didn’t like him at first. But mother wanted me to forgive him, so I did, for now. After some time we started playing together. The boy wasn’t as bad as I thought… Moreover, he was kind and cool. I always imagined my brother to grow up to be a cool knight, albeit stupid. But he, who was on par with my brother and had wit, would become someone great. And yet… Why would he lie so much… He never lies to gain something. I can’t think of a reason he would lie in those situations. Like when he said he created a new game for us to play. That was a lie. Why would he do that? If you read about it somewhere just say it… Or did he want to seem smarter..? But I think he is smart enough… His lies are always harmless… Although there is one that bothers me. When we wanted to play hide and seek he said:

“Before you say it… I’ll take off my hood. So now I can’t cheat!”

That was a lie…

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Does that mean you can still cheat?

How?

Don’t you need your hood to go invisible?

I decided to carefully ask that…

“Hey, Darling.”

“What’s up Naty?”

He was in the middle of the training but I’m really curious.

“I’m just curious. You said your father gifted you the hood to protect you… But it isn’t really protecting you is it?”

“Oh that. Apart from turning me invisible, it can…”

That was a lie.

“protect me from fire or cold… And probably even hits to some extent.”

That part was true…

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So does that mean that him turning invisible has nothing to do with the hood? Does that mean that he is the same as me? That he has some sort of power?

“Naty, I know I’m handsome, but there is no need to stare at me like that.”

This rascal! I want to hit him.

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Why can’t I?

*Thump*

“Ouch! What was that for?!”

“Because you!..”

Keep lying… 

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But I can’t say that.

“Just because!”

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I’m close to being 10. And I knew Darling for about 5 years. But… I can’t tell I know him at all. I don’t even know his name, after all. Today is his 10th birthday. We had a lot of fun. And his dad is unexpectedly good at cooking… But soon after he left…

*Boom**Boom**Boom*

Someone loudly knocked on the door.

“Is boy by the name Lance living here!? Open the door!”

Mother and father went to the door.

“Who is it?!”

Mother took the lead.

“We are The White Lion knights orden! We serve the Church of Light! Now open this door!”

Then mother did open it.

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I was in the kitchen but I could still see the door. I saw 5 knights in white armour with a lion emblem in the middle. All of them were wearing helmets so I couldn’t see their faces. Only one of them was standing in front of the door. Others were sitting on their horses behind him.

“What do you need Lance for, o’proud knights of the White Lion?”

“By the oracle from God himself, he is to become a Hero candidate!”

A Hero?!

“A Hero?!”

Father was as perplexed as I was.

“Does that mean he has to slay the Demon King?”

“There are other Hero candidates other than him, but if he truly becomes one… Then yes.”

“I can’t allow it!”

Mother was against it.

“That’s for him to decide.”

He tried to enter the house, but mother blocked his way.

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Then he pushed her.

*Thump*

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Father leapt at the knight.

The intruder then tried to punch father in the face… But it seems that the punch was very light as father didn’t even budge.

Father took the knight by the shoulders and threw him out of the house.

*Boom*

“I won’t let you take my kid!”

Knight shook dirt away from his armour and stood up.

“Truly strong blood flows in the veins of the future Hero! Hold him!”

The other four knights listened and jumped on father.

.

It would be hard even for him to break free from that.

“What’s going on here!?”

Lance came.

“Are you Lance?”

“Who’s asking?!”

“I’m the Captain of the knight orden White Lions. My name is Robert Litor.”

Then Lance looked at the mother and father.

“Mother! Are you alright? And you! Let father go!”

“We will if you comply.”

“What do you mean?”

Lance sounded angry.

“Lance, you were chosen by our Lord and Saviour to be one of the Hero candidates!”

“A-A Hero?”

“Yes! You need to go to the capital to be properly taught! You will be knighted and even have a great salary!”

He stopped to think for a moment.

“I… I will go with you, now let go of father.”

Captain nodded and the other 4 knights did it.

“Lance! You can’t! You don’t know how dangerous being a hero can be!”

As if you know, father.

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But I too don’t understand why he would go so easily… Does my idiot brother want to become a hero?

“Father… I know that it’s dangerous… But I want to return you the money you spent on me over these years. And I also want Naty to live better. So I will send you money from my salary.”

“Idiot! You don’t have to do that! We have enough money!”

“Enough to live here… Yes… But I’m sure Naty is bored living in here. So, Naty…”

He looked at me.

“Please use the money I’ll send wisely. Travel for a bit… Oh, and take Darling with you.”

This is his way of saying goodbye…

He has a smile, but I don’t feel like smiling.

I’m tearing up.

“Stupid brother! I don’t need your money!”

“I am sorry to interrupt but we have to go.”

It was Robert who said that.

“Yes”

Lance said that and jumped on Robert’s horse.

“Lance!”

Mother tried to do something but father stopped her.

“It’s okay honey… That’s his choice.”

Lance started riding forward.

“Goodbye Father, Goodbye Mother! Take care of Naty! I’ll be sure to send letters!”

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That’s how it went…

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Back to our MC

-Mixen’s PoV-

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“I see…”

So that idiot didn’t seem like a protagonist… He was one!

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What if…

“Naty. So what are you going to do now?”

“...You aren’t thinking about actually adventuring do you?”

“Who would want to go adventuring with you!?”

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Although I say that I would gladly do it. Looking at her mother I can tell that she will grow into a beauty…

.

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Why is she red?

“A-Anyway… I am thinking of asking mother to teach me more magic”

“That’s perfect!”

“What is?”

Oops… Didn’t mean to yell that out loud.

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“*Cough* I have something to tell you. My test is tomorrow. And it seems that I will be living in the city of Ganesh for a while…”

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Is she..? Tearing up again?

“*Sniff* So you are leaving too?”

“Nonono don’t cry, listen! You know about the City of Ganesh”

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“Isn’t it… *Sniff* City of Magic?”

“Exactly! And where else would you learn about magic other than there? So how about enrolling in Magic Academy? That way we can spend time together in our free time!”

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It seems that she stopped crying…

“I don’t mind… But what will mother say? I’m not sure if she’ll agree…”

“I’ll make sure she does! Let’s go to her!”

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Then we run to Mary.

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“Naty, what do you need?”

“Aunty!”

She almost dropped a flask she held in her hand.

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I forgot to turn my invisibility off…

“Darling! You scared me!”

“Sorry, Aunty… I heard what happened… I came to talk.”

“So you’ve heard…”

“Yes… So I came to ask you for something…”

“What is it?”

.

.

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So I told her everything…

“Ara~ But why are you talking in Na~ti’s place? Sa~y. Na~ti.”

Is she teasing her?

I looked behind.

Naty’s all red…

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Teasing seemed to work perfectly.

“H-He said he will do the talking!”

Mary had a warm motherly smile while looking at her.

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I’m not jealous… Not even one bit!

“Okay… But do you want it?”

Naty nodded.

“Yes!”

She sounds determined.

“Then it’s decided! We are moving!”

That’s great!

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.

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I feel like we forgot someone…

“Okay kid before you go, come with me.”

Gerda?!

“Granny!? You were here the entire time!?”

I got hit.

“How can you not notice your Master standing in the same room as you!.. And who are you calling granny again!?”

I got hit again.

“owowow Im sorry Master! Please don’t hit me.”

“*Sigh* Fine. As I said… Come with me I need to show you something.”

What is it?

.

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We came to our regular training ground… Lance’s backyard.

“I don’t know when we will meet again. So look carefully”

She took her sword out… Real sword. Not some wooden sword for practice…

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She started moving…

.

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This is a dance…

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Beautiful dance…

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I can tell that this Sword Dance is at least on a level of fathers sword… Although I still did not fully learn it…

.

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.

“Did you remember it?”

“Yes.”

When you learn magic your memory is bound to improve.

“Good. Those moves are something I saw on a battlefield and changed it to suit myself.”

.

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Hmm but…

“Master, does Lance know those moves?”

“Not yet.”

Yet?

“I am moving too. But I will go to the capital. So will have a chance to meet that idiot of a Hero.”

Hero candidate to be precise.

“But isn’t housing in the capital extremely expensive?”

I think that is the reason why Lance’s family can’t go with him.

“I was lucky and got a job there. So they are willing to give me a room in their house.”

Probably working for a noble.

What kind of job is it?

“Who will you work as?”

“An Instructor, obviously.”

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I could’ve guessed.

“Okay Granny, it’s time for me to go!”

“Won’t you say goodbye to Naty?”

“We’ll see each other soon so why bother?.. But you…”

I bow my head.

“Thank you for taking care of me, Master!”

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I hear her footsteps coming to me.

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Will she hit me? As she always does?

“Stupid disciple…”

She patted me on the head.

“No need to say thank you. Just… Take care of yourself from now on, okay?”

Her voice sounds… sad.

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“I will!”

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Goodbye Granny.

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Today the test is going to start!

“Mix!”

“Yes!”

“I think you get the premise of the test. But just in case… You need to get to the City of Ganesh in any way possible. You will get no help. Also, you can’t go to the village nearby. You need to find another one. And… Give me your hood.”

I did as I was told.

“Good. Here.”

Father handed me a sword.

“Is this..?”

“This is a regular sword so that you could protect yourself. You know Gerda’s swordsmanship and most of the Style of Ferocious Bear. But you need more practice. Use it well.”

“I understand, Father.”

“That is all. Good luck.”

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Just like that Father disappeared.

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Now that I think about it… Isn’t Father awfully good at stealth?

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I will definitely ask him when we get to the city.

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And I don’t think he went far… Let me check.

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Sure thing, He is sitting right there on the tree!

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I look at him… He is very well hidden. It’s hard to tell he is there just with a naked eye.

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Okay, let’s stop looking at him.

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Time to actually start the test!

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I know the direction the city is located in so I’ll start running there.

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Using the method I used while trying to sneak out of the house is pretty effective now. My mastery over magic is on a whole new level if I compare it to that time.

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Monster 300 meters from me. I think I saw it in monster encyclopedia… It’s probably a B-ranked Blood Wolf! There is no way I can handle that! I don’t know on what level I am currently, but I’m sure it’s not that high!

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I need to stay away from it…

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Another monster. It’s a D-ranked Horned Rabbit.

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Hmm… Can I take it on? Although its meat is useless to me because meat with mana in it is highly poisonous to humans. 

But… I want to test my capabilities.

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Killing a living being is… Hard.

Not physically, but mentally…

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And…

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It could be dangerous.

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I’ll sneak attack it.

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*Flop*

Success!

Although my sneak attack was heard. I still managed to get close enough to hit it!

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Ah sh*t, I want to puke…

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No time for that now! Because the smell of blood might attract unwanted guests!

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It’s been a few hours… But there is good news. I managed to find a stream of water.

Using the Earth element I create a rock pot and with the Fire element, I create a small fire. Then I take some water and put it into a pot to boil. I know I could’ve just made some water if I wanted to with the Water element but…I’m making a rest spot here because of another reason. Regular animals often are near sources of water, monsters are drinking far less water than animals so they don’t frequent here. Different monsters eat different things, but most of the carnivorous monsters like to feast on other monsters.

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Soon I found it… A regular deer!

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Catching it isn’t really hard. So I did it quickly. 

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Albeit with some hardship, but I killed it. 

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After that came the butchering part…

As I had nowhere to store the food while I travel I decided to just cut the tenderloins and make some soup with them. I drained it of blood and took it to my mini-camp.

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As it was basically just boiled meat. The soup wasn’t really tasty… I need to read about some wild seasoning the next time I have a chance.

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After finishing my meal it was almost nighttime. So I decided to mask my smell with some nasty methods and climb into a hole I made With Earth magic… 

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Let’s say it wasn’t the best sleep I had…

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But no monster came to me at night, so it worked.

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I went up the stream and was on the lookout for berries that I know you could eat safely.

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A few hours later I saw a road.

I’m almost there.

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I can see a city! Or… a village. Yeah, this looks like a village.

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Anyway…

“Sorry mister, do you know which way to the City of Ganesh?”

“Ganesh? Just follow this road. Don’t take any turns and you will be there after two days on a horse.”

“Thanks!”

Two days on a horse huh?

That’s quite long.

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.

But what can I do?

.

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Would you look at that! Gods of luck are on my side today!

That’s a caravan!

Wait it’s too early to celebrate. I need to find out if they are going where I need them to go.

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I’ll just ask.

“I’m sorry mister. Does this caravan go to the City of Magic?”

“Yeah. What? Want to ride along?”

“Can I!?”

“For a coin, sure.”

“I got no money…”

“Then f*ck off you little beggar!”

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Wouldn’t want to be near a pig anyway.

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Then plan B.

Sneak in.

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Ah, I need to pick a wagon with food in it. 

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I don’t think that greedy pig will notice a few loaves of bread missing.

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After finding the right one I climbed in it and found a neat hiding spot.

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Two days passed in boredom… I stole a bit of food here and there and drank water I created with the Water element. They went inside for food a few times, but my hiding spot worked greatly.

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Now we are entering the city.

“Your documents!”

“Here.”

“While I check them… Guards! Inspect the wagons!”

This can be bad.

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Although my hiding spot is good and all… I’ll use Loki’s Gift just as a precaution.

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“All clear! You can pass!”

That went well.

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After the horizon was all clear I sneak out and run away. 

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I was running around town quickly. As quick as I can…

.

Just to find… A pub! Yes! Found it!

Everybody knows pubs have free toilets!

They aren’t very clean… But hey! It’s free!

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After relieving myself and swearing to never stealthily ride in caravans, I left the building.

And then…

“Mix!”

Father was standing near the entrance.

“I didn’t know why you were running around like that… At first, I thought you were looking for me… But now I get it.”

“Hehe, I did a small mistake.”

“*Cough*, yeah… Still. You did well. You avoided monsters that were too hard for you to handle, killed those that were weaker than you, and took care of your food and water sources. You also found a crafty method of travelling here. And… Although stealing is bad… It’s okay if it hurts nobody.”

It seems that father is angry at that pig-looking bastard.

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Well, I did steal his food, so we’re even.

“So, Father did I pass?”

“With flying colours.”

“Yes!”

I’m truly glad.

I was worrying a lot about this test.

“Here. Those are your documents don’t lose them. You will now be called just Mixen, as commoners aren’t supposed to have a last name… Oh, and don’t tell anyone your last name okay?”

I guess father has a reason to hide it… So I won’t pray further.

“Okay.”

“Good, the acquaintance that I talked about will find you. Now go”

Where?

“Go where?”

“Go enrol into the Magic University! Why do you think you need those documents for!?”

.

.

.

What?