CHAPTER 9

How to Live as a Hero in a Magical World (9)

Let’s Go to the Volcanic Region

Kaian set down the teacup he had been drinking from and checked his pocket watch.

Today was September 29th. The current time was 2:00 p.m.

It was the time of the decisive battle he had chosen in advance.

From this moment on, he planned to find Flame Veil and return home within eighteen hours.

—Rustle!

Kaian pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from his pants pocket.

At the very top of the page, in large letters, he had written:

[Things Needed to Find Flame Veil]

Kaian gazed proudly at the list he had written himself. For an eight-year-old’s handwriting, it was surprisingly neat and legible.

‘I spent an entire week revising and revising it until it was finally complete…!’

Everything written on this list would increase his chances of survival and success.

Kaian hopped down from the chair, which was still a little too tall for him to climb down from comfortably.

Beside the chair sat the backpack he had brought downstairs earlier. It wasn’t particularly large, but neither was it small. It was big enough to cover Kaian’s back and half of his head.

“I can’t forget anything.”

Kaian opened his eyes wide and meticulously compared every item on his list with the contents of his backpack. He had already checked everything more than ten times the day before.

“There’s nothing wrong with checking again.”

Counting off each item with fingers covered in calluses and wounds from the past few days, Kaian muttered to himself.

“Water bottle… check. Lantern, check. Wooden clogs… five pairs, check. Blanket… packed. Oh, right! The—!”

There was still one important item missing from his backpack.

Realizing this, Kaian was about to shout out the name of the item, but quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

Then he ducked behind the dining table and glanced around.

Fortunately, the person he was most wary of, Eldarin, was nowhere to be seen.

“Phew.”

For some reason, Eldarin had finished tea earlier than usual today and disappeared.

Thanks to that, it was much easier for Kaian to check his backpack. Even so, he couldn’t help feeling like he was being watched.

Kaian stood up in search of the one item he hadn’t packed.

“Honestly. I almost forgot the most important thing.”

He casually slung the backpack over his shoulders and headed toward the kitchen. There wasn’t actually anyone watching him, but for some reason, it felt like he ought to act naturally.

Kaian stealthily rounded the corner of the kitchen, pretending to be completely at ease.

And then—

He came face-to-face with Amber’s amber-colored eyes staring directly at him.

His face immediately brightened.

“Amber…! Please give me my lunch…!”

Kaian whispered urgently, and Amber hurriedly handed him the lunchbox she had carefully packed.

She was Kaian’s most reliable ally in this operation.

His only ally, in fact.

‘…An ally whose voice I’ve never even heard, though.’

As Kaian accepted the lunchbox and tucked it into his bag, he remembered the day he had first infiltrated the kitchen.

About a week ago.

He had just learned a recipe for high-calorie bread packed with honey and nuts, something suitable for traveling long distances.

He had referred to a book in the second-floor study Eldarin had prepared for him:

《Travel Light, Eat Heavy: Recipes for Travelers》

He had procured the necessary ingredients from his workplace, taking painstaking care not to get caught secretly taking them.

His heart had pounded the entire time.

You know what they say about a thief being afraid of his own footsteps.

For quite a while afterward, Kaian would flinch whenever his eyes met Eldarin’s.

‘So that’s why they say you can’t live comfortably after committing a crime.’

But once he had committed a crime, he absolutely could not afford to get caught.

That was why Kaian had headed for the kitchen in the dead of night that day, intent on committing the perfect crime.

And Eldarin wasn’t the only one he needed to avoid.

‘I have to avoid Amber too. Honestly, she’s probably even scarier….’

With his body now fully healed, Kaian descended the wooden stairs on all fours again.

It made less noise that way.

Then, the moment he rounded the corner of the kitchen, Kaian found himself staring into a pair of amber eyes gleaming in the pale blue light of dawn.

‘Gyaaaah…! W-What is with those eyes?!’

The fact that he had bitten down hard on his tongue to suppress his scream had been a remarkable display of quick thinking, even by his own standards.

Kaian gripped his trembling legs tightly.

Even if a tiger—or rather, a spirit—devoured you, they said you could survive as long as you kept your wits about you.

Amber simply stared at Kaian without the slightest reaction.

Only then did Kaian remember something Eldarin had told him.

‘Ah… Right. Amber can’t speak.’

Amber inhabited the body of a ball-jointed doll and had no vocal organs.

However, as a spirit, she could communicate directly with another person’s consciousness, so Eldarin had said that she did have a voice.

The day he had heard that, Kaian realized there was no way he would accidentally hear Amber’s voice.

‘Still… she can at least use body language, right?’

Gathering his courage, Kaian opened his mouth.

—You’re up early?

No response.

—Would it be all right if I used the kitchen for a little while?

Still nothing.

—Are you going to tell Eldarin…? Gasp! Or have you already told her?

Kaian asked as pitifully as possible, using the eyes and gestures of a fragile little butterfly.

Amber seemed to ponder the question for a moment.

But soon, she lightly shook her head.

Then she moved aside slightly, as if to indicate that he could use the kitchen.

Kaian silently cheered.

‘Yaaay!’

His eighteen-hour plan to find Flame Veil was not one he could carry out on an empty stomach.

Kaian was delighted, but he never figured out why Amber had decided to keep his secret.

Even on the day he left, he still didn’t know.

His best guess was that she had simply wanted to protect the kitchen.

‘I mean, I did… burn it twice.’

That dawn, Amber didn’t actually leave the kitchen.

Instead, she stood behind Kaian and watched him intently as he worked.

That made Kaian nervous, but it also filled him with a strange sense of motivation.

He was determined to show Amber the results of his research.

‘Heh heh heh. Just you wait. I’ve memorized the recipe…! Well… there’s no harm in being careful, though.’

Kaian rummaged through his belongings and took out the recipe he had written down beforehand, placing it beside the counter.

Finding all the seasonings he needed took longer than expected.

So once he had gathered the ingredients, he immediately drew a kitchen knife.

He was just about to bring it down on the ingredients with a confident motion when—

Amber tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

When Kaian turned around, Amber’s expression was serious.

‘Ah… So this really is too much. Well, back at the Valentin household, I was the only one forbidden from entering the kitchen….’

Kaian assumed he was about to be kicked out.

But Amber tapped his sullen form again.

Then she slowly began cooking according to the recipe Kaian had written.

‘Huh…?’

She even stopped from time to time and tapped the empty space beside her.

Kaian immediately understood.

She wanted him to imitate her.

—…!

From that day onward, Kaian learned how to cook from Amber every dawn.

Amber carefully inspected the ingredients he cut each time, as though checking to make sure he hadn’t accidentally chopped off one of his fingers.

—Don’t people usually check their hands when that happens…?

Kaian tried to stop her, but Amber acted as though she hadn’t heard him.

‘But thanks to her, I managed to finish my lunch.’

Without Amber, Eldarin would have caught him long ago, and the lunchbox would have been a complete disaster.

Remembering the past week, Kaian carefully tucked the lunchbox away, filled with gratitude.

However, Amber didn’t seem entirely pleased as she watched him.

Kaian’s mind began racing.

‘That look…!’

It was an expression he had often seen on his mother Riana’s face.

—Sneak.

Kaian showed Amber the inside of his backpack.

And, just as he expected, Amber immediately began rearranging its contents.

‘Was it really that messy…?’

Kaian scratched his head and watched her work.

Amber placed a thermos at either end of the backpack so that the weight would remain evenly distributed.

Between them, she carefully stacked the blanket and various other items, one after another, while placing the lunchbox at the very top.

The five pairs of wooden clogs were hung on the outside of the backpack, reducing unnecessary bulk.

Watching everything fall neatly into place one after another looked no different from magic to Kaian.

Without realizing it, he began clapping in amazement.

—Clap clap clap clap!

“Whoa…! I can fit so much more this way.”

Kaian looked inside the backpack again in astonishment.

Amber stared intently at the little back of his head.

‘Like a chestnut… No, an acorn.’

She even lifted the backpack herself and placed it onto Kaian’s shoulders.

Kaian bounced up and down in place a few times before turning toward Amber with a bright smile.

“It doesn’t shake around, and it’s much more comfortable!”

It was the same smile Amber had seen countless times over the past week while making lunch with him.

Every time, she had to desperately suppress the urge to smile along with him.

‘If I get too attached to him, it’ll only hurt later.’

And yet, without Kaian knowing, Amber secretly cast a spell on his lunchbox to give him energy.

Whether he knew her feelings or not—

Kaian flashed her the charming, affectionate smile characteristic of the youngest child and waved energetically.

“Thank you! Then I’ll be going, Amber!”

Amber still didn’t answer.

She didn’t nod or smile, either.

But Kaian knew that the amber glow in her eyes had grown warmer than before.

‘Hmm. I should say goodbye to my mountain-goat elf teacher too.’

Eldarin had finished tea earlier than usual today and disappeared, but she was undoubtedly somewhere in the house.

There was no way she would miss watching her precious pupil leave.

“Whew…! Eldarin! I’m heading out! Wait for me!”

After shouting at the top of his lungs, Kaian hurried out the front door before he could get scolded.

A heavy backpack.

A confident stride.

Even Kaian had to admit he looked pretty cool.

Thus, he strode away from the house to embark on his great first adventure—

Only to abruptly turn around and sprint back toward the entrance.

“Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom.”

He might as well enjoy the conveniences of civilization to the fullest before leaving.

* * *

Kaian ran through the golden fields.

The wind roared loudly in his ears.

—Whoooooosh!

‘My stamina can only be at its best at the beginning. I need to cover as much distance as possible while I still can.’

According to the book on long-distance running, 《Around the World Barefoot》, the key was to maintain a steady pace with consistent breathing.

“In, out. In, out.”

Kaian focused on his breathing.

The time he had spent preparing for this journey flashed through his mind.

‘The recipe was useful, but the study Eldarin prepared for me helped in all sorts of other ways, too.’

For example, the book 《A Guide for Beginner Travelers》 had taught him to attach straps across his chest and around his waist so that the backpack wouldn’t bounce around while he ran.

He had also reinforced the stitching several times to prevent the backpack’s shoulder straps from snapping under the weight.

For that, he had referred to 《Sewing: From Repairs to Creation》.

And when it came to making the wooden clogs, a book called 《Beauty for Your Feet》, which introduced footwear from various cultures and explained how to make them, had been an enormous help.

‘Sewing was even harder than cutting ingredients….’

Thanks to that, Kaian was still wearing fresh bandages and wrapping around his fingers.

He had injured himself plenty while shaping the wood, too.

‘Woodworking was fun, though. Sewing wasn’t fun at all.’

There were quite a few things he needed to make in order to safely reach the volcanic region.

But it was impossible for a beginner to learn how to work with all sorts of different materials in just one week.

So Kaian had mostly used pieces of wood he found lying around to make the things he needed.

One of them was the object fluttering beneath the blue autumn sky.

A red flag.

“Huff, huff… I see it! The flag!”