"Miss Shizune, may I check your wounds?"
The little girl named Shizune made a hesitant sound of approval, watching in amazement as the boy, who looked to be about her age, stood in front of her.
When Shizune first saw the person who had come to rescue her, she thought he was a sword-wielding dwarf, but when the mask on his face was torn off by a knife during his battle with the leader of the bandits, she realized that her rescuer was a child just like her.
As I wrapped the wounds on the kneecap of the little girl Shizune, who seemed to be fighting a battle of many thoughts within herself, with the rag that had failed to hide my face, I asked myself a question. How serious am I about hiding my abilities?
Would I kill an innocent girl just to protect myself from the possibility that my abilities might be revealed and some people at the top of the hierarchy might show up and ruin my new life with my new family? Is that possibility really worth getting blood on my hands? Is it really so bad to follow the path of evil? Is there any room for my heart's wishes on the path of evil?
Should I kill her...
Shizune was worried for a brief moment that, from her sitting position, the boy in front of her would see her underwear, but when she saw Yuto's eyes politely focused on his work as he wrapped her kneecap, she forgot what she had been worried about and began to watch the handsome face of the boy in front of her.
Shizune was seriously wrong about one thing. If she had been able to look deep into Yuto's eyes, she would have noticed how coldly colored the depths of his pupils were. But unfortunately, the girl's mind was on the warmth of the boy's hand as it briefly touched her bare skin while he wrapped her in bandages.
What finally woke the little girl from her increasingly warped daydream was Yuto's voice, now that he had been able to make a decision.
"You know, I just rescued you from the bandits, and what I want in return is for you not to tell anyone about my abilities and power."
I hope this little girl doesn't make me regret my decision. I don't want to regret my decision, as the side quest's note says.
"I can promise you that, but on one condition?"
Suspicious...
"I'm listening."
"If you tell me your name, I won't tell anyone about you."
Why is she asking my name? Does she have some strange plans for me?
Calm down, Yuto! You're being too paranoid. She's probably even younger than me. Why would I be so suspicious of a girl this young?
But if I think logically, since she has already seen my face, there's no point in hiding my name anymore. After all, even a blind person living in this village would point to me when asked about a boy with black hair, and even if I tell her my name and she finds me, what's the worst that can happen?
"sigh... Since you're so curious... My name is Yuto. Just a human."
Enough talk! I don't want to answer any more questions, and I don't care who this little girl is. I'm going to go study this new thing I just acquired called holy magic.
After Yuto winked coolly to stop the little girl from asking questions, he entered the storage space and made a cool, teleportation-like exit before her eyes. It is not known why Yuto, who had been so reasonable until now, would show off to the little girl by doing such a thing, but it was sure to cost him dearly.
The pink-haired little girl saw the boy in front of her suddenly disappear and, unable to hide her thoughts anymore, filled her chest with air and shouted silently.
"I want this boy. Yes! I want! I want! I want! I want!"
As the little girl shouted, her eyes shone like stars in the darkness of the night.
This girl was old enough to be spoiled by being a little noble girl in the future, and many nights she lay awake in shame, thinking that Yuto had heard her shouting today...
Meanwhile, Yuto had already entered his own storage space and begun to use his newly learned magics one after the other.
------- half an hour later
"Even though I haven't practiced enough, I don't have much time left. I wonder what happened to that girl? I hope she didn't get hurt because I left her in the middle of the forest! Ahhh, I don't give a fuck, but come on."
As soon as I snapped my fingers, the scene in front of my eyes changed to the ruins where I had fought the bandits. I looked around a few times, and there were no bodies on the ground and the little girl was nowhere to be seen.
Probably the guards, soldiers or policemen... whatever they were called, had come to take care of the situation here.
Relieved that I hadn't made a stupid mistake that could have gotten the little girl killed in the woods, I started running toward the center of town.
I didn't understand what kind of celebration my mother was talking about, but she had told me more than once that it was very important and that every child my age should participate in it.
When I passed through the side streets and came to the square where the market used to be, I saw that all the stalls had been cleared away and many wooden chairs were lined up for a big crowd to sit on.
After walking around for a while, I ran into a colleague of my father's whom I had seen a few times before. When he saw me, he ran up to me, grabbed me by the shoulder, and started dragging me somewhere.
When I complained about his strange way of greeting a person, he didn't listen to me and started talking.
"I finally found you, Yuto. The duel starts in a few hours and you're still wandering around."
"What duel?"
"They really didn't tell you? I expect it from that woman, though. Your father suffered a lot from that woman's sense of surprise."
"Hoy, sewer rat, when you say that woman, are you talking about my mom?"
When the middle-aged man in chain mail saw the child he was dragging along looking at him with predatory eyes, he realized where he had gone wrong and quickly offered an insincere apology. Although he wasn't going to change the way he addressed people he had been friends with for years for the sake of a small child's opinion, he appreciated the child's attitude.
"Forgive me. Never mind that, let me explain what a duel is."
"Speak, human, I give you permission."
"Human? Hahaha, whatever. Sword duels are held every year and participation is mandatory. The participants are children between the ages of 3 and 5. Has your father ever taught you how to use a sword?"
"No, he never taught me anything. Why didn't my mom tell me about this event? You tell me that."
"Ohh, it's probably because of the prize for the winner. Every year the winner of the duel goes to the big duel in the city, and the top three there go to the school founded by the sword king a hundred years ago. Your mother is obsessed with you, even if you don't realize it, and I knew this obsession would eventually affect your future. Your mother did what she did."
"Oh, I don't want to go anywhere, take me off the list. See you later."
When the armored man saw that his hands were suddenly empty, he quickly ran and grabbed Yuto again, who was already on his way home.
"I told you, didn't I? Participation is mandatory. Besides, who wouldn't want to become a great swordsman?"
"I... I'm the most powerful magician of the future. I have nothing to do with swords, old man."
"I'm only thirty-five years old... Well, that's not the point. You'd better give up your dream of being a magician early. You need knowledge to advance in magecraft, and knowledge is something only nobles have access to."
"Don't tell me what to do. All I have to do is fight the duel and get beaten, right?"
"Yeah... I mean, no. But next year you should train hard and learn how to use a sword properly. In a moment I'll explain the rules of the duel to everyone here, so sit and wait or get up and practice."
A few minutes later, the armored man decided that the boy, with no knowledge at all, couldn't win the duel even if he wanted to, and gave up trying to convince him.
Yuto looked in boredom at the dozens of children swinging swords in the empty field in front of him, found himself a seat, and waited for the time when the rules of the duel would be explained.
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