Prologue
“Oraa! Walk quickly, you demon!”
The soldier says as he kicks me flying. Because it is just after a rain, the soil on the ground is muddy. I fall into it, dirtying my entire body with mud but, nobody said anything. Far from that, they are laughing and saying I deserved it.
……Why am I going through this. All it is, is just getting a peculiar occupation, isn’t it! Despite that, despite just that why do I have to be killed!
◇◇◇
“Hardt, quickly wake up! Isn’t today an important day!”
‘Batann!’ The door opens with a loud sound. The person that entered my room energetically, Kaa-san1 tear off the futon that was covering me.
Not even noticing the sunlight shining through the window because the futon was covering all the way to my head, I didn’t realize it was morning until Kaa-san came to wake me up.
“Geez, Stella-chan and Lig-kun are already waiting because Hardt is late at waking up! ”
Even though I was still dozing off, I got startled by Kaa-san’s words. I look at Kaa-san with a shocked face but
“I tried waking you up several times. But you kept going five more minutes, five more minutes without waking up.Geez, you’re already 12 so please wake up on your own”
She’s complaining about various things but, this is not the time for that. I jumped out of my futon in a hurry and went to wash my face. I went out the house because the bucket was outside and, as Kaa-san has said, the two of them were already waiting.
Childhood friends of the same age in the village I live in. Stella and Lig. Seeing me rush out the house, they both have respective emotions appearing on their faces.
“As expected It’s as I’ve said, Hardt. You can’t fall asleep because you were excited.”
Sitting on the low stone wall outside the house and giggling is Stella. In the sunlight, Stella’s hair that stretches to her waist glitters.
Far from being the number one in the village, she has an appearance that’s said to be the number one beauty even within the territory that the village is in, my first love that I’m always thinking of in my heart.
Beside her is an irritated-looking Lig leaning against the wall and glaring at me. He’s the number one in swordsmanship in the village, also skilful at magic, furthermore with an appearance that doesn’t feel out of place beside Stella, or rather handsome to the point where you’d think that they are well-matched.
Said to be the most successful in the village. Completely different from me. I’m a normal villager, far from that I’m said to be lacking to everybody. In reality, I overslept on an important day.
“You’ve been like this since the past. Causing problems only during important times. Quickly get prepared. I won’t forgive you if we miss the horse wagon because we were waiting for you ”
“Sor, sorry alright. I’ll get ready right away.”
I washed my face while apologizing to Lig and returned to my room. On my way back, Kaa-san asked how about breakfast but, I don’t have the time to eat it.
I’m glad I prepared yesterday just in case. I put on the clothes that have been prepared and carried the baggage on my back. Even though I said baggage, it’s a town two hours from here by horse wagon so, it’s nothing much.
I leap out of the house in a hurry and, Stella seeing that I’m ready, jumped down from the stone wall with a ‘Yoo’, Lig, went ‘Funn’ while crossing his arms and walks ahead.
“Sor, sorry, Stella. I made you wait.”
“Fufu, it’s no big deal. More importantly, you have bed hair. I’ll fix it for you so bring your head down a little”
When I lowered my head as told, Stella wet her hands with magic and gently pat my head. At that moment, a sweet scent waft from the Stella that drew close to me. My heart is pounding away without anyone knowing when, ‘tsk’, the sound of tongue clicking can be heard.
Timidly looking forward, Lig was looking annoyed glaring at me…… When was it, that Lig started looking at me hostilely. Even though we used to get along and played together.
While this was happening we head to the middle of the village and, three horse wagons heading to the town are lined up, children and parents from around this village gathered. There are 13 children including us this year. It’s more compared to the previous years.
The parents are cheering for their respective children. Of course, Stella and Lig as well. Especially Lig, that even has the village chief’s group cheering him on.
I only look at the scenery. Kaa-san did not come. Because Tou-san2 died when I was young, she raised me up by herself all this time. Now, she’s picking herbs from the nearby forest and somehow making a living as a pharmacist in the village.
She should be heading to the forest now. Kaa-san who’s working non-stop from morning till night. In order to let her have a peace of mind, I want to get a slightly better occupation from the oracle this time.
In this world where we live in, there’s this thing called 『Occupation』bestowed from God. Even though it’s called an occupation, it’s not actually a job, it’s something like a person’s disposition.
For example, an occupation of swordsman or spearman can work as a soldier for the country, even villagers have farmers or hunters and all sorts of others. It’s no more than the person’s disposition and they don’t necessarily have to get a job that fits their occupation.
There are farmers that are merchants, even without having a combat type occupation it’s possible to be a soldier.
If possible, I would like an occupation that can work even in the forest like a hunter. If that happens, Kaa-san will be able to work without pushing herself to enter the dangerous forest.
It seems like we are the last, the village chief after confirming that everybody has arrived, have us get on the horse wagon in order. When I was about to get on, my shoulder was grabbed and pulled from the back.
I fell on my backside and look up, standing at where I was is an enormous boy smirking. Behind him are three followers, and they all have the same grin.
He is the village chief’s son Regul. He’s roughly 180 even though he’s 12, his width is almost as big as two of me, the leader of our age group.
“Fuun! A drowsy and stupid fellow shouldn’t get on before me”
Regul spits as he says that and got on to the horse wagon. I stood up holding my painful butt.
I sigh while looking up at the sky, the clouds getting thick and the sky getting dark. It’s a cloudy sky that would seemingly rain at any moment. That sky was as though representing my future.
