Surprise! I'm five years old now!

I can walk, talk, run, read, and most importantly, eat!

*clapclapclapclap* (sfx)

Honestly, being a baby and a toddler has been really hard. Learning how to walk and talk took forever, and being potty trained was….

Let's not talk about that.

Now that I'm five years old, it's time to head out into the big wide world by myself! Just kidding, even though I'm a reincarnator my development has been mostly normal. I haven't done anything crazy like invent a new type of magic or discover some great invention.

In fact, today is my fifth birthday and my mother is finally letting me walk down the street by myself. I know it's normal to be protective of young children, but having someone around all time, while eating, sleeping, playing…even going to the toilet…it's not great.

Mother handed me an envelope and told me to take it down to the adventuring guild to mail it. This is obviously just a way to make me feel grown up, because the envelope she gave me didn't even have a mailing address on it. However, it's the first step to my independence so I won't do anything like hide it or throw it away.

I left the house in high spirits, but when I looked back I could see my mother was standing at the entrance with no intention of going inside. She was definitely going to watch me the entire way down the street…

I take a few steps down the road and pass by the hostel, where I feel another pair of eyes on me.

It's Grandpa and Mina. Mina works part time at the guild and part time for Grandpa, she even comes by to help Mother clean up the house once a week. Grandpa lives at the hostel and basically runs it by himself, but for some reason he has plenty of time to come watch me and my siblings.

"Hey there, out for a stroll are you?" Grandpa greeted me as he came out wearing a broad brimmed hat.

I nodded with a serious expression. It's just a walk down a road, but I feel like everyone has a lot of expectations for me.

"Well I won't slow you down. Take this treat with you as a snack for the road." Grandpa dropped a candy into my apron pocket and tilted his hat with a smile.

The apron I'm wearing is not the same as a cooking apron, but a type of clothing that therien children wear when they are young. (Therien being the name of my family's species, apparently it means people of the grasslands.) It's hard for young theriens to wear pants because their tails feel uncomfortable so instead their parents give them something like a poncho with a big pocket in front. Underneath I have bloomers with a big opening in the rear meant for my tail and for using the bathroom.

This method means that therien children can be toilet trained relatively quickly… not that I need help with that.

I waved goodbye to Grandpa and continued down the road, watching for horses and wagons.

Our town is named Greenwick, and it used to be an empty forest until a dungeon was discovered. Then a military fort was built to keep an eye on the dungeon, which was quickly followed by an Adventuring Guild, which then brought it many businesses that catered to adventurer's. The entire town has two roads, which form a 'T' shape.

The main road of our small town forms the upper part of the 'T' shape, the buildings in this order from east to west. The camp site, guardpost, the temple, dry goods store, Guild, the guild warehouse, the guild stable, the hostel, and our house.

The majority of the newer businesses were on the vertical portion of the 'T', like the trading post, smithy, tavern, and the guild staff dormitory.

Basically, from my house to the Guild building, was less than two city blocks.

Even though the distance was that short, I saw my father standing at the entrance to the warehouse, talking with his colleague.

….

I decided to pretend I didn't see him and run straight to the Guild, unfortunately my legs are extremely short so my running speed was close to an adult's brisk walk.

Even though my ears are covered in fur, I felt them turn pink as I ran. I just want to be able to go outside by myself!

The exterior of the Adventurer's Guild looked a bit like a bank, but its function was closer to a registry, government office, and trading company. Adventurers could keep money in accounts, obtain travel documents, trade information, and even sell their materials here at a friendly price.

At the Guild I made it inside without being intercepted by anyone else. Unfortunately as soon as I walked in the door many eyes turned towards me as adventurers noticed me. Feeling overwhelmed by the gazes of so many people, I covered my face with the hood of my apron and rushed up to the receptionist counter and placed the letter in front of the person I recognized, Ina.

Ina smiled at me and took the letter, asking in a joking tone, "sending a letter to your friends?"

I shook my head, keeping my face hidden.

"The processing fee will be three silver cents."

I took the silver coins out of my pocket and placed it on the counter.

"Thank you for using the inter-guild delivery service, expect your letter to be delivered within a month."

The amount of eyes on me had intensified, so I quickly nodded and then spun around to leave, running into Rhys. Rhys is a human boy who is living with our family due to certain circumstances, he has brown hair and black eyes and is a year older than Linden. (Linden is seven while Rhys is 8)

"Ow!" I squeaked as I almost fell over but Rhys grabbed my shoulder and steadied me.

"Hey." Said Rhys. He wasn't much of a talker.

"What are you doing here?" I asked dumbly.

"..Selling slime cores." Rhys held out the small chestnut shaped object as proof.

Rhys and Linden often go out to hunt slimes. Slimes are basically the lowest level of lifeform, but they propagate quickly when there's enough water. Sometimes if the bath isn't drained properly or was clogged from rain water, we would find it filled with slimes.

Clearing them is extremely easy as all you really need is a sharp stick, and their cores can be sold for pocket change.

Rhys and I both avoided eye contact with each other, and for a moment we just stood in silence.

"Uh…I'm going home." I couldn't bear the awkwardness. I didn't think about how much attention I would attract, being a child in the adventurers guild.

I ran out the doors and all the way home with my hood up.

At times like this I wished I didn't have the awareness of an adult.

===============

Feels good to be at home~

After running home from the guild, I sat in the garden and thought about how I probably overreacted. I think my sensitivity to the presence of other people probably increased due to my time as a baby.

I'll probably grow out of the embarrassment soon, but right now the feeling of people's eyes on me is too much.

Unwrapping the candy Grandpa gave me, I popped it into my mouth and savoured the citrus flavour. Thankfully, the technology of sweets in this world is pretty decent and widespread. Things like candy and cake were available even in a remote location like this through the trading store, which basically acted like a convenience store that accepted both money and barter items.

Speaking of technology, the standard of living in this world is relatively high, most houses have running water, literacy is decent, and most importantly different types of food are widespread.

This isn't just the glutton in me speaking, based on my observation, spices like pepper, cinnamon and cumin could be bought for cheap prices at the trading post and we regularly ate rice at home.

The style of the town was a mix of mediaeval and Victorian Europe based on my shallow knowledge of history. We have Victorian stoves, public baths, but most people live in walled cities with armoured guards and stuff.

Joelle covers very basic history in her classes at the temple, and apparently there was a great emperor who unified the lands. He had black hair and black eyes, and his name was Arai the conqueror.

The clan name of the royal family, Araisen, is based on him. Supposedly he is the one who invented things like steel, the printing press, moveable type, and agriculture. Even the language of Carthelonia, Carthel, is attributed to him.

Based on this information, I can assume that Arai is someone from another world. The reason I don't use the term reincarnated is because it's likely he arrived in his original body and with all of his memories.

My intelligence could be considered average in my past life and I worked as a store clerk so I didn't have any specialised skills that could be considered cheats.

I'm basically a useless reincarnated person.

Sighing I got up and stretched my body. There's no use dwelling on this stuff, besides I don't think I would fare well if I became a famous person like the emperor.

I walked around the garden and inspected the vegetables for weeds, since one of my chores was helping keep the garden free of pests. Linden was frequently punished for wandering far into the forest, so he was the one forced to pull weeds most of the time and since he snuck out almost every day, the garden was basically spotless.

Linden was the honest type, so he never slacked off. He knew that going far beyond the perimeter of the town was bad, so he accepted his punishment and paid his dues.

Even though he knew it was bad, that didn't stop him. Thankfully he usually took Bean with him, the big dog was enough to scare away wild boars and bears.

The garden hadn't changed much since my birth, the vegetables were frequently rotated so that the soil could be replenished. There were also training posts, used by Linden and Rhys, made of logs tied with thick hemp rope to create a firm but not too hard surface.

Perhaps because he could sense that I was thinking about him, I heard the back fence open and saw Linden and Bean coming in, Linden carrying a sack. His curly red hair had bits of forest debris still attached, and Bean had burrs in his fur that could only come from the woods.

Bean immediately ran up to me and put his big paws on my shoulders, while Linden hid the sack behind him with a guilty expression.

In the four years since he arrived, Bean had grown big enough that he could be mistaken for a black bear at a distance. Linden also grew like a bean sprout and was quite lanky for his age, towering over the blacksmith boys and almost reaching the height of Milly, who was three years his elder.

"Hey Lin." I said as I scratched Bean around his ears.

"Hullo…"

Linden's arms moved nervously as he fidgeted. He knew that I knew he was up to something.

The standstill was broken with a ripping noise as something tore its way out of the sack. Something grey whipped around Linden's legs and darted towards me.

Bean spun around and just missed the blur as it pounced into the big pocket of my apron. Bean turned back and growled at the mass of fur in my pocket, which shivered violently at the sound.

"Down, Bean."

Bean backed off and I slowly reached into my pocket and cradled a small fluffy creature in my hand. The animal was a bit like a chinchilla mixed with a flying squirrel, with large watery eyes and big ears. Its long tail wrapped around itself as it quivered with fear.

These creatures are called flying mice because of their long tails, and I saw them flying through the trees early in the morning a lot. They were extremely cute, but quite fast, and I was honestly impressed that Linden had caught one.

"I found it in the woods and I wanted to see if I could raise it." Explained Linden.

The flying mouse seemed to realise I had no intent to hurt it, and escaped from my fingers into the grass. I watched it disappear into the egglet coop.

I gave Linden a knowing look. Mother forbade Linden from bringing home any 'pets' because they would either get loose and create a mess or they would die and Linden would be inconsolable.

Linden hung his head in shame.

Feeling bad, I offered him a solution.

"Why don't you try leaving food out for them? That way you can keep them outside like the egglets."

My idea was loosely based off of the idea of a bird feeder, and seems to strike a chord within Linden.

"You could also leave a box out for them to sleep in, like the coop."

"Now that's an idea!" Said Grandpa as he rounded the corner.

""Hi Grandpa"" Linden and I spoke in unison.

Grandpa Clay laughed at the two of us and ruffled Linden's hair.

"I saw you coming up the path and came to check on you. Seems like you're up to no good again eh?"

"Can you please help me make a box for the flying mice?" Pleaded Linden. He didn't even try to hide what he did.

"Hmm…" Grandpa pretended to think about it, I could tell by his smirk he was just reading Linden.

"I'll help you massage your shoulders! I'll help with the laundry!" Linden was fooled too easily.

"Deal, come around tomorrow and I'll get some stuff ready." Agreed Grandpa. Linden nodded eagerly and ran off, presumably to choose a good spot for his feeder.

Grandpa looked at me and held out his arms, I let him pick me up and carry me inside.

"How was your trip this morning?" He asked.

I hit his shoulder lightly, still feeling embarrassed. "I was just going to the Guild. It's not a big deal."

Grandpa opened the kitchen door and looked upstairs. Presumably to where Mother was upstairs.

"I saw you running back, mind telling me why?"

I didn't know how to explain it in terms Grandpa would understand so my words came out in a bit of a jumble.

"The eyes…I could feel everyone…I felt nervous"

"Hm."

Grandpa sat me down on one of the rocking chairs in front of the fireplace and took a seat in the other with a complicated expression on his face.

"You know how Milly is…talented, right?" Grandpa asked as he steepled his fingers.

I nodded slowly, I knew that Milly was extremely talented when it came to magic, and basically learning in general. A few months after my birth, she nearly set the garden on fire when she tried to use magic, well technically she succeeded much to the shock of everyone.

It wasn't just magic though, she was able to decipher the thick tomes in Father's collection, which were basically blocks of text that used difficult terminology and complex diagrams. Even I had difficulty reading these books, even with my translation ability and prior knowledge.

Unlike Linden, who had grown up in this small dungeon town with few children to compare to, I truly understand how special Milly is.

"Milly is really smart." I replied.

"Milly isn't just smart, she was born with extremely high innate control of her mana field." Said Grandpa. Then he asked, "Do you understand what a mana field is?"

"A mana field…is the mana that comes from your own body, it lets you feel mana and control it." That was the best answer I could give.

I knew that there was more to it than that, I was eager to learn magic and sat with Milly whenever Grandpa tutored her. However, she was the type who could understand a concept easily and did a lot of self-teaching. I couldn't keep up with her, as she often asked grandpa complex questions or asked him to supervise as she practised her control.

Listening to her and Grandpa talk was like an elementary school student listening to their highschool sibling's tutoring.

"You're right, to put it simply it is the mana that naturally comes from your body. The denser someone's mana field is the more sensitive they are to the mana around them." Explained Grandpa.

"Milly has a very dense mana field, but even as a baby she could instinctively adjust its size and sensitivity. You also have a dense mana field, but unlike Milly you don't know how to control it." He hastily added, "That's not a bad thing, you two are just different."

"Oh…I don't know what that means though." I replied in a confused tone.

Grandpa held out his hand and told me to close my eyes.

When I closed them I could vaguely see a faint blue web emanating from the darkness where his palm should be. I could also feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I felt grandpa's presence in front of me.

"You can feel where my mana field is concentrated right?" Asked Grandpa.

I nodded and he released the mana, but I could still feel his presence. I opened my eyes as Grandpa leaned back in his chair.

"You reacted even though I only focused slightly on my hand. Even when you were a baby you would react to other people's mana fields. Today when you went into the guild by yourself, it seems that you reacted poorly to all the mana fields of the adventurers." Said Grandpa.

The realisation dawned on me, that sixth sense feeling wasn't people looking at me, rather I was reacting to their mana all crowded into one space. I felt a bit foolish that after five years I hadn't put the two and two together.

I tilted my head questioningly. "How come it didn't happen when I went with Mother or Father?"

"Normally your parents shield you with their own mana by expanding their fields to cover yours. Because you are used to feeling their presence, even when they increase the intensity of their mana fields it won't bother you."

I nodded seriously. I assumed I stayed in the house a lot more than my siblings because my parents were overprotective of me, but it turns out that being around too many people caused this effect. It also helped that I didn't throw a tantrum like most children my age when being told no.

"This condition is called Mana hypersensitivity, and I had it as well. It's actually quite common among children with mana sensitivity, especially with families that have elven lineage." Clarified Grandpa.

My ears perked up at that. "Elven Lineage?"

"Yes, a very long time ago there was an elf in our family. That's why we have so many magic users in our family." Said Grandpa. "I think it was your great-great-great-great-great-great-"

Grandpa grinned as he repeated the 'great's' until I finally laughed and told him to stop. It seems that Grandpa was a bit worried that I would feel insecure about having mana hypersensitivity and wanted to lighten the mood.

"-great-great-great grandfather." Finished Grandfather while I giggled. After I stopped laughing he comforted me. "Don't worry too much about it, alright? As you get older you'll naturally figure out how to adjust your mana field to the presence of others."

Slapping his hands against his knees, Grandpa stood up and put his hand on my head.

"Today is a special day right? Let's make a cake to celebrate your birthday."

I nodded eagerly. Grandpa was the best cook in the family, and he was the only one who could make a proper cake.

==================

The birthday cake made by me and Grandpa had two layers, and was covered in chilly white cream and topped with preserved strawberries. Chilly mist flowed off the cake due to Grandpa's magic, and it looked perfect enough to be in a cafe display.

Before starting the Hostel in Greenwick, Grandpa had been an adventurer that took all sorts of different jobs, from hunting to cooking, and picked up all sorts of skills. Grandpa is sort of a handyman in town still, aside from running the Hostel, he makes ice for the warehouse and cleans the communal bath used by adventurer's. He also runs a laundry and cleaning service which is in high demand for adventurer's who are always travelling.

His Hostel is more like an apartment building for people staying in town for longer periods of time, with ten units and a big communal kitchen in the back. Unlike an Inn, he only provides housing and storage, and sometimes laundry.

Most adventurers that come through town stay at the campsite, which is basically a collection of wooden platforms for tents or wagons, and a stable. It's hardly a step up from camping in the woods, but the guild at least provides facilities like water, campfires, and bathing facilities.

If I were to compare it to something from my previous life, I would say that the campsite is like a truckstop.

Back to the cake, because Grandpa's specialty is water magic the mixing and cooling was done really easily. My contribution was mixing and measuring the right ingredients.

The measuring system in this world was suspiciously similar to the metric system, reinforcing my belief that at least one other reincarnator had come to this world. Grandpa let me have the leftover cream which is what I'm currently enjoying while waiting for everyone else to show up for dinner.

Mother and Grandpa went out to find Milly, Rhys, and Linden, who as usual didn't like hanging around home, while Father was still at the guild.

If I were to guess, Milly would be at the temple, which functioned as a mixture of a clinic, school, and library. Joelle, the Matron of the temple, hosted reading and maths classes for adults twice a week, and three times a week for children.

Linden would either be at the river (which he was prohibited from going to without supervision), or kicking around with the blacksmith boys. Bronwyn, Bevan, and Dugan were basically the only other boys his age aside from Rhys, and they were the children of the Blacksmith who moved in three years ago. The three boys could be called friends of his, but like most kids that age they spend half the time fighting with each other over something or other.

As for Rhys…he could really be anywhere. Rhys wasn't exactly the social type but he had been spending a lot of time at the adventurer's guild waiting for news about his dad.

Three years ago, Rhys's dad came and asked Mother and Father to look after Rhys while he went on a long expedition. Darre was his name and he and Father were childhood friends, and he had been in the same party as Mother back before she retired.

From what I understand, father travelled with the party but wasn't exactly a member since his combat skills were low. After mother and father got together and officially retired, the other two members of the party also got together and retired, leaving Darre to go solo.

Darre ended up as a high ranking solo adventurer, and at some point had Rhys. Darre cared for Rhys by himself for about five years before being called back into action, so he left Rhys with our family with the promise of being back in around two years,

And… well it's been around three years and there's no news of Darre.

Also, due to Darre being a high ranker, he didn't want people to come after his son so Rhys was introduced as the son of a distant relative with nowhere to go. As for Rhys's mother, it doesn't seem like she's deceased but for some reason or other he can't stay with her.

A very rude thought that often occurs to me, is that Rhys has a very protagonist-like backstory. I never say this because Rhys really misses his dad and seems more introverted every day that goes by with no news.

Speaking (or thinking) of the devil, Rhys walked in the backdoor just as I finished off the bowl of cream. As usual his face looked quite neutral, and he didn't say anything.

"Hey!" I called out, and Rhys nodded at me. It feels really bad seeing a kid with such a serious expression on his face.

I hopped off my chair and pointed at the cake.

"We're having cake today! I think everyone can have a big slice!" I exclaimed, trying to get Rhys excited about something. Rhys looked at the misty cake with no change of expression.

"You like strawberries right? We have extra so you can have a few from the jar." I tried to motivate him with sweets. Based on his expression it seemed like there was no news again at the Guild.

Finally, Rhys's face relaxed a bit and he smiled. "I'll go wash up then."

Goal accomplished!

Rhys's face often reminded me of my past life…the feeling of inexplicable loneliness. I can't remember my past family but I do remember the feeling of waiting for someone. The least I can do is distract Rhys from his worries about his father.

As Rhys went upstairs to clean up, I suddenly realised that his clothes had been quite dirty when he came in. If it was Linden that would be normal, but Rhys was pretty good at keeping his clothes clean.

The detail wasn't that important, as it wasn't unreasonable for Rhys to go into the woods to play, so I ignored it and grabbed the jar of preserved strawberries Grandpa left on the counter.