CHAPTER 7

How to Live as a Hero in a World of Magic (7)

Kaian had spent so long confined to his sickbed that he had never really gotten a chance to see what Eldarin’s house looked like.

He had only vaguely imagined it as something simple and warm, with an old-fashioned charm, since the entire interior was made of wood.

But he never imagined it would actually look like this.

Eldarin’s house had been carved out of the inside of a gigantic ancient tree. In every sense of the word, it was a house that was the tree itself.

“Wooooow…!”

Kaian’s head tilted farther and farther back.

“Eldarin must really love trees…!”

The image of Eldarin in Kaian’s mind shifted one step closer toward that of an elf.

Though she was still much closer to a mountain goat.

Eldarin spoke in a voice that was unusually lively for her.

“Isn’t it magnificent? Wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Of the five elemental types of mana, wood mana symbolizes vitality and ascension. Growth—in other words, life force itself. This house is the heart of Eldergrove.”

“You mean, is it magnificent?”

Kaian cried out, his eyes sparkling.

“It’s more than that! It’s overwhelming!”

The ancient tree that formed the main body of the house was so enormous that its roots had burst through and spread above the ground.

Between the raised roots, flowers of every color bloomed in abundance, adding even more splendor to the scene.

A separate wooden railing had been built in front of the entrance, with a table set up there. Beside it was even a fire pit for barbecuing.

‘How far away would I have to go before I could see the top of the tree?’

Kaian laboriously backed away, trying to gauge its height, but soon gave up and asked Eldarin,

“How many floors does this house have?”

“Until now, the only members of the household were Ember and myself, so I only built and used up to the seventh floor. If necessary, it can be expanded as much as you like, so there is no need to worry. Oh, and there is a wine cellar in the basement, so do not enter it without permission.”

“Then, then…! Yeah! Seven floors should be plenty!”

Seeing Kaian enjoying himself for the first time since arriving here, Eldarin found herself smiling as well.

‘Seeing him get this excited over something like this, he really is just a child after all.’

She decided to give Kaian some time to look around the exterior of the house.

He was unable to hide his excitement and kept turning his head from side to side.

“Whoa…! It’s really amazing!”

In Kaian’s eyes, the most impressive part of Eldarin’s house was the wooden walkway spiraling around the trunk of the enormous tree.

If he climbed that walkway, he would probably be able to take his time admiring the massive trunk from top to bottom.

‘There might be tons of cool bugs up there…!’

Kaian’s heart began to thump.

‘If I climb all the way to the top, I bet I’ll be able to see really far! Oh, then… Does Eldarin use those stairs too?’

It was difficult to imagine.

All the adults he had encountered until now had been solemn, dignified nobles who were always mindful of proper etiquette.

‘Eldarin seems a little different, though… Well, whatever. I definitely have to try those stairs!’

Kaian continued his happy imaginings until he suddenly remembered something and went pale.

“Wait. Hold on. When you said Ember was the spirit of the house… Does that mean she’s the spirit of this tree…?”

“That is correct.”

Eldarin answered calmly.

Kaian was the only one whose voice trembled.

“Then… I set fire to this enormous and sacred spirit…”

“You did.”

“Gasp!”

“You broke the windows, too.”

“Gah!”

“And you broke her favorite teacup.”

“…”

Kaian’s face turned deathly pale.

Why hadn’t Ember spit on him?

‘If it were me, I would have. Twice, at least.’

The spirit really is incredibly broad-minded.

From that day onward, Kaian decided to respect Ember.

Eldarin urged the dazed Kaian onward.

“You can look around the house at your leisure later. Once the sun grows hot, working the fields becomes difficult.”

The workplace Eldarin showed Kaian was broadly divided into three areas.

The vast fields surrounding the wooden house, Ember.

A glass greenhouse where medicinal herbs were cultivated.

And a dedicated mushroom-growing shed.

Eldarin collectively referred to the entire area as the Golden Plains.

Kaian nodded.

‘Well, it would be hard to think of another name after seeing those golden fields.’

It was a relief that he did not have to harvest the rice in the paddies right away, but that did not mean the fields themselves were small.

The land in September was truly abundant. Sweet potatoes, mature pumpkins, radishes, green soybeans, and sorghum had all been planted generously across the wide fields.

Eldarin spoke with a satisfied expression.

“When the seasons change, the fields will change their crops on their own.”

Kaian’s expression, on the other hand, grew infinitely darker.

If the fields changed their crops every season, that ultimately meant he would have to work all year round without a single day of rest.

And that was not all.

The greenhouse was filled with herbs, all sorts of medicinal plants, and even crops that could be cultivated year-round, such as green onions.

“There’s so much! This is ridiculous! You said there were only two of you living here!”

Kaian cried out in despair.

Why in the world did two people need this many crops?

But Eldarin answered as though Kaian were questioning something completely obvious.

“I have an old friend who distributes the crops to Silvaris. My friend also sends me meat, seafood, and whatever daily necessities I require.”

Come to think of it, Kaian hadn’t seen any livestock sheds.

Without even realizing it, he found himself accepting Eldarin’s explanation and nodded.

‘I see. Farming must have been an important source of income.’

If that was the case, there was nothing more he could say.

Even a mountain-goat elf living in an extradimensional space needed money, after all.

Besides, he was an unwanted dependent who couldn’t earn any money himself.

At least he could repay his keep with physical labor.

“Don’t you go to Silvaris yourself, Eldarin?”

“I have seen enough of the world to last me a lifetime. Besides, there is nowhere as beautiful as this place.”

Kaian could hear the bitterness and sadness lingering in Eldarin’s voice.

But for the moment, he had his own problems to worry about.

‘What am I supposed to do with all this land?’

As he stared helplessly across the fields, Eldarin admonished him in a solemn voice.

“Before the age of magical civilization arrived, farming meant that harvests could be good or bad depending on the whims of nature. But things are different now.”

She swept her right arm across the fields.

A turquoise glow of mana transformed into countless tiny particles and settled over the farmland.

―Fwoooooosh.

“If the soil is infertile, we simply add nutrients with magic.”

Then she swept her left arm through the air.

A small cloud appeared and began raining over the fields.

―Shhhhhhh.

“If there is no rain, we simply make it fall in whatever amount is needed.”

Eldarin once again emphasized her point to Kaian.

“The Golden Plains are a wonderful place that produces the proper crops in the proper quantities at the proper time. Therefore, all the effort required of us amounts to little more than harvesting. Do you understand?”

But watching Eldarin use magic seemed to twist Kaian’s mood all over again.

‘Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t it be? That’s what happens when you can use magic. But I can’t use magic, can I?’

As he grumbled inwardly, Eldarin, perhaps somehow sensing his thoughts, quietly looked into his eyes.

Caught off guard, Kaian stammered.

“W-Why are you looking at me like that?”

“For the time being, focus on working in the fields and recovering your muscles. From what I can see, you were never particularly muscular to begin with… This should be a good experience for you.”

‘She’s looking down on me way too much.’

Kaian nearly snapped back in indignation, but then remembered Eldarin grabbing him by the back of his neck with one hand and carrying him up the stairs.

He promptly shut his mouth.

“You can start by digging up the sweet potatoes. Follow me.”

Kaian limped along behind Eldarin.

Once again, the butterfly-shaped mark on his wrist caught his eye.

‘Tch. What’s so great about a butterfly? It would’ve been much cooler if it were something like a tiger.’

For some reason, he found the mark particularly irritating today.

As expected, working the fields was grueling.

The sweet potato vines were tough and had spread out long and thick, making them difficult to cut with Kaian’s clumsy sickle strokes as he worked with trembling arms.

Even when he somehow managed to cut through them, a sticky white sap oozed out and clung to his hands, which was incredibly annoying.

But he couldn’t afford to be careless with the sickle, either.

His body was already a complete wreck. If he tripped over a vine and fell, it could be disastrous.

Before long, Kaian was drenched in sweat.

“Good grief, good grief. Ughhh…”

Every now and then, he straightened his back and stopped to catch his breath.

Each time, he saw Eldarin effortlessly thinning out the sweet potato plants with nothing more than a few casual flicks of her fingers.

“It’s so unfair. So unfair.”

But what could he do?

He couldn’t use magic.

He was weaker than Eldarin.

And if he happened to lose control of his temper, he might end up with his very soul burned away.

So all he could do was quietly sit down on the ground and dig up sweet potatoes.

‘Urgh. Somehow, I feel like I’m groaning more and more.’

As he had been taught, Kaian gently dug down beside a sweet potato with a hand hoe.

He was so anxious about accidentally damaging the precious crop that he could hardly make any progress.

Still, it seemed far better to work painstakingly, little by little, than to take home scarred sweet potatoes and receive another icy glare from Ember.

‘Definitely. I don’t want to see that cold look again.’

Beads of sweat rolled down Kaian’s forehead.

Once the purple crown of a sweet potato began to emerge, he had to scrape away the surrounding soil with his hands.

The rich smell of earth rose up and tickled his nose.

Kaian sniffed, feeling as though he were about to sneeze, then carefully grasped the base of the vine.

“Slowly… Slowly. Hoo…”

If it broke, he would have a miserable time.

Focus.

Put all his strength into his lower body.

―Crack! Crack!

“Hnnngh…!”

In an instant, purple lumps came tearing free from the damp earth, their rich colors gleaming beneath the blue sky.

“Whoa!”

Kaian’s eyes sparkled along with them.

But something felt strange.

‘Huh…? Why does the sky keep getting wider?’

His body was losing the battle against the force he had exerted and tipping backward.

He flailed his arms, but couldn’t regain his balance.

In the end, Kaian landed squarely on his backside.

“Ow! Ouch!”

Pain and embarrassment washed over him at the same time.

But Kaian never let go of the sweet potato vines.

“Look at that! I did it. Hehe.”

Seeing the plump, well-grown sweet potatoes made him grin from ear to ear.

“I dug these up myself. Wow, they’re pretty. So pretty.”

His entire body was covered in dirt, but he felt wonderful.

With both hands trembling, Kaian raised the sweet potatoes as high as he could and shouted,

“Eldarin! Look at this! It’s huge!”

From far away, Eldarin appeared to move her lips.

Thinking that he wouldn’t be able to hear anything from such a distance, Kaian frowned.

But then her voice, carried on the wind, rang right beside his ear.

“Well done. Can you feel your strength gradually returning to your body?”

“…!”

Only then did Kaian realize the state his body was in.

He was doing considerably more demanding work than when he had descended the stairs, yet he could still move around fairly well.

He cried out in surprise.

“What? My body’s getting better…! A little!”

“The earth mana is helping your body recover.”

“The earth mana?”

“The earth is, by nature, the place where things are planted and harvested. It is always filled with the virtues of mediation and acceptance. It rejects nothing. That is why when one touches the soil, the mind naturally becomes calm and finds peace. It should certainly help you as well. While working the fields, try to gradually become aware of the flow of mana.”

Kaian blinked.

Then, still sitting on the dirt, he took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

A dull ache spread around his ribs.

His entire body was sticky with a mixture of dirt and sweat, and it even felt as though his mouth had acquired a dry, gritty taste of soil.

But…

‘…It’s peaceful.’

For some reason, his heart had become calm.

The weight of the heavy sweet potatoes in his hands felt strangely pleasant.

Only then did Kaian break into a broad grin.

‘Eldarin really does have everything planned out…!’

Maybe she was a pretty good mountain goat after all.

Kaian sucked in a deep breath and shouted with all his might.