Chapter 1: Meet the Magic (1)
lxHoWah! Wah!9BSIVs
JStXHy1In the early morning, Vincent was roused from his sleep by the sound of a babys cry echoing through the mountain.PBd41sK
Eu9zUpdUgh.mFdAGh
Ft9I6mThe sad sound of the infant continued to be heard as he ran his hands through his disheveled hair.Pz9
O0xkdiGod, what have I done so wrong?oCq0
k9nThe hunters muscles strained in the dark as he kicked the blanket off of the bed.R6pNhp
AwgwWho on earth is that this early?UnM7r
gF42RsFVincent looked at his sleeping wife, hoping she was having a good dream.wzwtEMj
0r4mpkIf she heard that, there would have been some measure of trouble.IX6t5rf
492GHaahRbhJu7
opCnaThe couple, who had been married for seven years, had no children.zk0
x7P317They had visited the clinic once with a large sum of money, but all they said was that the cause was unknown.c1M
hScY1Theres a thing called compatibility in bed. Its just the way it is. Olina and you dont seem to have a problem, so keep trying. Haha!Jj3
L200w5Vincent smiled through it at first.WLKb
SXRkRGMHowever, the situation did not improve over time. By the time they entered their fifth year of marriage, he had no choice but to admit it.T8teY
yLEHe couldnt have children.tbYS1Ez
tRkT3ZfHis wife, Olina, didnt speak of her disappointment. But at times, she would get a lonely expression on her face. And at those times, Vincent couldn’t help but be resentful towards his lower body.gY1
IwYihWhat kind of rascal is it? Its like hes trying to rub salt into the wound!xrK
HVUPutting his complicated feelings aside, Vincent left the house with his single-edged axe.hhWRm
lF8dsIWho is it?! Whos the one causing all this ruckus, at this time of the night?!uJYS
2rAGHis shout echoed through the mountains.Pe7TH
GrlFThere was no response, and Vincents expression hardened at that silence.xZNxXF
H24cWDLPerhaps its a trap?oVMY
XhzMost hunters built their houses in the mountains.nt8kQ5k
ORS0This was due to the fact that they would have to check the traps they set at night early in the morning, and it sometimes became necessary for them to spend days in the mountains when they were tracking large animals.AMVr
7EgPOf course, safety was his responsibility, and there were a lot of bandits looking for vulnerable prey.Ju0
on46FpJOn the other hand, it could have been a merchant from another country. However, there was no torch in sight in the dark of the night.RP1b3
NlwLgS2That rotten! Ill cut you to pieces!G6jU8
G7UIn the worst case scenario, there would be no choice but to shed blood.K57l4mL
epxWhHe slowly approached the stable the noise was coming from. Then he quickly flung open the door.1rg1yFA
FtMTAfKThe hunters excellent vision scanned the interior.X3o
8xZdhgDNeigh.iI3zXBz
tdfrHe heard the horse whinny.J4jF5
8uYcBecause animals do not lie, the impulsive Vincents heart relaxed a bit.Qq8y
9XfTheres nowhere to hide.68I1whw
VeeKzlThere was also no sign that anyone had broken in.zn3Xw
0CsyBut, how?d1W4ufe
ECSMyVincent looked at the bundle laying on the straw bed.FdS
oeMRwZSThe baby, who seemed to be about two months old, was crying with a frown on their face.Qemo
vPjlmVincent hurriedly hid the axe behind his back.izw
W5giAtKWhen he went down to kneel in front of the bundle, he threw the metal somewhere in the corner.FYOmmP
KP8Wah! Wah!j7eWine
qJiThere was a baby, as pretty as the moon.7Gx
coxAA baby who didnt know anything yet, whod just been born, and would one day spread his name around the world.of9v
tnXAt that moment, the baby saw the adults face and stopped crying, a smile spreading across his face.lYFY
xwHMxYSVincents lips trembled.ZCq
JYPVRGhThen, as if he was struck by lightning, he stood up and ran out of the stables.kPxJG
VwZk3Who is it?! Whos pulling a prank on me?! Abandoning a child! You bastard, come out!VMJE
GYDGkiqHis roar rang throughout the mountain.zFIacP6
Cv2KCome out! Really?! How can you abandon a child?! Youre a monster! You know that?!tEp
a5WyThere was still no answer.oK9J
wv6zPgvYoure really abandoning the baby? Im giving you no more chances! If you show up in front of me, Ill turn your face into a rice cake!QK5Adj4
Ll2OtOVincent shouted with all his might.9Z6
aWfmqHe didnt want to have any regrets when he looked back on this day in the distant future.HQazs
PcnMFHaah. HaaahIeq
Zw8lRm2Vincent, after a few moments of staring into the darkness, went back into the stable, breathing heavily.9kCL
TTIThe baby was asleep, perhaps exhausted from crying.ZVL
pz0ryHolding the baby in trembling hands, he gently pressed his ear to the babys little chest.6PJPoOI
yWkYGjWOhN031
J4b4His heart was beating much faster than an adults.gBuTUMV
gDVHoney, whats going on?wTI
TMLKAHis wife, who had run outside after hearing him shouting.qft
cygKcPVincent showed her the sleeping child in his arms instead of answering.GALf
rlUQWb2Whats with the baby?nAT8t3
QEc3AwJVincent hesitated, as he wasnt sure how to explain the situation.9JDO5H7
dDuPuhYIts Its our child.Jzwcq
aR1AIq* * *ykJSrC
BBW2tHb* * *ghtzadC
LZ4QoIt was early summer.fXRC
PDuLThe stream was cold and the wind was cool.qtrDeQ
kwEfq7With a dead water deer draped across his wide shoulders, Vincent hurried home.7YrYT
t1LRather than catching good prey, he was excited to go back to his family, waiting for him at home.lSNJwK
TAgZShirone! Dads home!9SJd
QNANKMDad!Opj1
aDKOyiXThe 12-year-old boy came running to the front door with a big smile.RX4UXW
1HFRgSUnlike Vincent, who was as rugged as a rock, the boys face was reminiscent of a specially processed jewel.il2uCJF
vR0His hair was as smooth as gold and his blue eyes shone from afar.ejW
OaxaeJWhenever he saw his pretty son, who looked like a doll, Vincent could not hide his happiness.Izy5V
hB3As soon as he threw the water deer on the floor, he buried his face into his sons shoulder.CiVV1Lx
Ouy1yQYes, my precious son. How have you been? Have you been good?NVdnu
3mvYes! I helped Mom cook and also read a lot of books.8QJ6h
pFhYoACooking and reading.VX5m
S2EsH8nVincent, who felt the incongruity between the two words, was slightly perplexed but didnt show it on his face.0UQtm
MnVJHaha! Do you like books that much?EMR4
2eDcWrlNo, its theres just nothing to do.dtsua29
KmSDADtVincent felt sorry for his son whenever he saw him flinch, as if he had done something wrong.nX3cjv
p1BJSzbIn fact, he knew it.doMYvZW
wVQkutHe knew that this miraculous child from heaven was smarter than his peers.OYKYFN
WLaeo9He read books with the letters he learned from his mom, and now he had reached the point of reading difficult books alone.W4vUul7
rt8CpAnd that was a little pitiful.te90ub
XmyUIt wasnt easy to raise enough money for hunters to educate their children.moP
CCKPThe only thing Vincent could teach him was his lifelong hunting skills.3jw
UYxEC1GThe most stable life for the son of a herbalist is to be a herbalist, and for the son of a hunter to be a hunter.i8ugc
1pHMBecause even the most trivial job required knowledge and tricks that couldnt simply be spoken of.S0ikbt
Ipl7yBut Vincent couldnt bring himself to say that.JTP
7EEXNo. Good job, Shirone. No matter what you do, you have to learn to succeed. Ill buy you a book when I go into the city next time.2toq8fY
QUVBtYIts okay. Ive read the books youve bought me, but theres nothing special or interesting about them.Zto
SeC34RVincent laughed at his sons boast.RW3h
vxVnHPopular books were expensive, so he couldnt even think about buying one of those. So he would go around the antique shops and buy books that were used and thrown away by the nobles, which were a bit cheaper.ifqhB
6qNVtcHe did guess that the content was not enough for a child to digest, anyway.Ared
y4FKWhat a considerate boy.hLeI
uGkdVincent was moved to tears by Shirones thoughtfulness, who was considerate of his parents situation.jZGU
ssBMSRight! Anyways, what do you think? Do you want to go cut some trees with me? Its important to learn, but you also have to have the physique and stamina. Today, dad will teach you how to chop some wood.1NLZd
LsR1WeWow! Then, are you going to be giving me an axe?4cQgpUv
JfuDlOf course! Just you and me, why dont we go cut down all the trees!gdYDwp6
8LdVincent presented Shirone with an axe, as if he had been waiting for this moment.jymE
kgosAfter all I guess he’ll become a mountaineer.oVa
Dut6cIn any case, it was important to build some muscles in his tiny body from now on.a0QEnBL
fyMBCTBut is it really?LetoLU
1srKDmHe had a sudden doubt.veCpJ
bltFJ5cShirone looks like a child from a wealthy family, with his soft face and hair. Maybe he was the child of a noble family?zHLNXfW
J11OooVincent shook his head. Whenever he had such suspicions, he felt overwhelmed. He felt like he had received a precious gift, but on the other hand, he suffered from guilt.oLEI
WSgIts a useless thought. Shirone is my child. Not a child brought in from the stables, but a child who has my blood flowing through him.Gaittm
GTSllWith a firm heart, Vincent headed for the logging area, a kilometer away from the cabin.1MXD
rJjIaIll give you a demonstration, so watch carefully and follow along.cOLbH
zKQVwVincent spat on his palm and began to chop the tree with ease.rEAwCL
Na02qy8Not long after, with the sound of splitting wood the tree crashed down with a snap.Mcl
R6ybIxAlthough it wasnt particularly important, a lumberjacks ability was measured according to the number of swings it took to cut down a tree.hQ5xVmG
mwGdxBecause he was not a lumberjack, Vincent had to swing 10 times, but that alone took great skill.BMN7bI
IdzazvpAfter hitting the same area several times, the tree will start to tilt and fall down, as it cant hold its own weight. Can you do it?JW4xdN
muwPI3Yes, Ill try.0jXVpFY
xNYrAs Vincent picked out a tree for Shirone, he started to copy what his dad did by spitting on his hand.VVLLSsB
YTH5KWgEven though he only saw it once, his positioning, posture, and even the way he rubbed his palms was a spitting image of his dad.AwUmVb
zcufuJust as expected of Shirone, who was especially intelligent. Vincent watched his son in satisfaction.IEilP
GkGBut as Shirone raised his axe high, it was a bit sloppy.Sfzrb
1aVSbXIts not something you can do with intelligence alone.g2PBb
jQnBWhile the weight of the axe was considerable, muscle strength was essential when cutting down a tree.TYQvQ
NzRHjuHe needs to start training himself, so that he can get married and have children later in life.y6xPbA
QIQNo woman would want to marry a guy who couldnt make money.4r0d0
RScAsEek! Eck!KBQW
qlsShirone clenched his teeth and swung, but every time he missed and hit somewhere different.Jm5TB
Zok93Vincent gave some tips.LaEjN
78oNmWDon’t use up all your strength. Instead, try to decrease your power and replace it with accuracy.Qosz
KPhHowever, no matter how much he continued to aim and hit, there was no sign of the tree being cut down.YXOx
qo8Is my son really this weak?fpQ9wPa
egwVincent was a little sullen.wRunpzq
4hiPhew, its hard.P3W
l1EYB43Its okay. No, Im sorry. To be honest, I know you are not fit to be doing a job like this. However, being a hunters son, there is no choiceZk4
oU2AZ7Vincent was choked up.9s5H
DLGXdYoure a really smart boy. More than the herbalists son, Barone, or the fruit sellers daughter, Stella. You are smarter than them all. Dont get rattled just because you lack physical strength. My greed for youYKA8Q
ZvuyJlLTears began to gather in Vincents eyes.CAYEO0
HqwXwSHowever, Shirone, who was busy with other thoughts, spoke without care.3qy8Ya2
8hMvMore importantly, Dad, how can I cut down trees well?wYEQW
lMrLVincent was slightly embarrassed.B8S
MCyHe was also surprised. His son, who he had assumed would have no interest, was intent on cutting down trees well.nfJo
RvPtNzYou really want to try and learn?Kh7kujU
CM9Yes, teach me. Its fun.PZ0H
ICFeVincent, who was encouraged by his sons words, led Shirone to the dent of the tree he made.4K26s3M
c7PaMAlright, look at this. Strength will work when you become an adult, but this doesnt really require much power. Its the tricks that count. I told you to hit the same spot earlier, but if you tilt the angle a little bit and hit around the spot you aimed before, you will be able to cut down the tree easier.MiKnE
YvRBIBOh, I see.pmfW
iDTXVincent finally looked at the dent his son had made, away from the spot he was supposed to hit.R8uNq
zNu1kThis iswIEhi
9O5jgIt was quite surprising.XXRVC
5jaxQtIt was hard to look at it and think that it was done by a beginner, as the blade had been driven into the same exact spot, over and over.G0dbI
l6LIf this continued, it would have been more difficult to knock down the tree without brute strength being used. The trick to easily cut down a tree was to hit around the target spot, instead of aiming at the same place repeatedly. Because of Shirones frightening accuracy, it would have been impossible for his current self to cut it down.f8QXBE
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