Chapter 5
Just a few seconds. Even a gifted individual would take days to perceive mana, yet Alex felt it in the blink of an eye.
“Is this… mana?”
An involuntary exclamation leaked from his lips. The overwhelming mana filling his surroundings—a presence he had never known until now—was both overpowering and wondrous.
‘Ah.’
He could feel not only his own mana, but also the mana of Leo sleeping in the bedroom, the chickens raised in the backyard, and even the neighbors nearby. Every single one was distinct and clearly perceptible.
‘Ah….’
And even farther out. The crops growing in the fields, the grass and trees at the entrance of the back mountain, and the wild animals.
‘…Ugh.’
And even beyond the village.
As his senses expanded, the endless stream of mana and the vast information contained within it didn’t just fill Alex’s mind—it overflowed.
His head began to throb violently, rendering him unable to think. It felt as if his eyes were going to pop out and his brain was being rattled inside his skull.
Overwhelmed beyond its capacity, blood began to trickle from Alex’s nose.
[Woah! I guess because it’s an isekai, the mana density here is crazy compared to Earth.]
[Still, sensing mana this quickly shouldn’t be possible.]
[It’s not like you’re a polymorphed dragon or anything, Alex.]
[Is it because of me?]
[Is it because I’m just that amazing?!]
Lee Baek, who had been blabbering away, finally noticed Alex’s condition.
[Oh boy!]
[This is dangerous!]
With Lee Baek’s words, the outward expansion of Alex’s mana detection abruptly halted. Slowly, the range of perceived mana began to shrink back.
Finally. When the sensation settled to only cover the area around his house, the excruciating pain vanished, allowing Alex to breathe properly again.
“Haa… What happened?”
[Just as I can feel your senses, you became able to feel mine.]
[Since I already know what mana is and am completely used to it.]
“Ah.”
Alex understood Lee Baek’s explanation. Since Lee Baek was a Lich who had reached the pinnacle of magic, sensing mana was as natural to him as breathing.
“So I ended up using that sense without realizing it, which caused a huge problem.”
[Precisely. A human body has its limits, after all. Besides, you’re not a mage—you’re just a regular guy.]
Phew.
Alex wiped away the blood from his nose and let out a deep breath.
“How did you shrink the range, though?”
[Simple. It’s like closing one eye to narrow your field of vision.]
[Or pinching your nostrils to block out a smell.]
Alex understood immediately thanks to the easy analogy.
[Now that you can sense mana, we can move straight to creating a Circle.]
“Is it really okay to rush like this?”
Alex couldn’t help but feel hesitant, knowing others spent weeks or months just to accomplish what he had done in seconds.
[It’s fine!]
[Just enjoy it. Like me.]
“I feel like you enjoy things a little too much.”
Even so, Alex decided to look on the bright side. The faster he learned magic, the brighter Leo’s future would be.
[Let’s call it a day for now, though.]
[When forming a Circle, you need to focus in perfect condition.]
[Plus, magic requires a strong act of willpower.]
Alex agreed. Though the pain had faded, the overwhelming sensation and lingering daze from earlier still remained.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Alex returned to the bedroom and instinctively smiled brightly as he looked at the sleeping Leo.
“Mmm… Yum.”
As if he were still eating the delicious roasted meat from dinner in his dreams, Leo smacking his lips in his sleep brought an inevitable smile to Alex’s face.
‘This is what happiness is.’
With a content expression, Alex lay down beside Leo.
Just as he was about to drift off, a sudden thought crossed his mind, and he reopened his eyes.
“Come to think of it… didn’t you tell me to grab something earlier?”
[Me? What did I say?]
“Before I grabbed the glass bead—the Life Vessel. You said something like, ‘Grab the stone.’ I think.”
At Alex’s words, Lee Baek tilted his head—though he didn’t actually have one.
[I never said that.]
[Besides, my voice can only be heard once you touch the Life Vessel. If it worked otherwise, I would’ve called out to humans way sooner!]
“Really?”
Then it wasn’t Lee Baek.
“But the voice sounded so similar…”
Thinking back, he got the strange feeling that he had heard that mysterious voice not in the present, but in the ‘future.’
‘Then who was it?’
It wasn’t the voice of Solenius, the Chief God. And Lee Baek, whose voice felt similar, denied it. No other candidates came to mind.
After mulling over it for a moment, Alex brushed the thought aside and closed his eyes.
‘I can figure it out slowly.’
The next morning.
Cock-a-doodle-doo!
The moment the sun rose and the rooster crowed, Alex snapped his eyes open. He immediately turned to check on Leo lying beside him.
“Mmgh…”
There sat six-year-old Leo, fast asleep without a single worry.
“Haa.”
Alex, who had been tense, let out a deep sigh of relief.
He had worried that returning to the past—a dream-like happiness he had longed for—was merely a fleeting life flash before his soul dissipated completely.
“So it wasn’t a dream.”
Alex gently poked Leo’s squishy cheek and burst into a soft laugh.
[What’s this? You’re awake already?]
I kind of wished THIS part was a dream.
Sighing softly, Alex looked back at Leo and beamed idiotically.
[By the way, isn’t there anyone else living in this house?]
[Where are the kid’s parents?]
Lee Baek asked, assuming a child usually slept with their parents.
“My sister and brother-in-law went out on a mercenary job about five years ago and went missing.”
Alex spoke calmly.
It was when Leo was only six months old. Once his sister had recovered her health, she and her husband left home, stating they had taken on a lucrative request.
According to plan, they were supposed to finish that single commission and stay with Alex and Leo for a long time—watching Leo grow up and teaching Alex swordsmanship.
However, the two never returned.
“I was fifteen at the time.”
From that point on, a fifteen-year-old boy began raising a six-month-old infant. Without the help of the villagers, they never would have made it through safely.
[Uh… sorry?]
“It’s fine. It’s not your fault.”
A Lich apologizing for something that isn’t even his fault? You really do live long enough to see everything, Alex thought to himself.
‘Besides…’
In terms of his soul’s age, twelve years had already passed. The twenty-year-old youth was now effectively thirty-two.
While the longing and sorrow for his sister and brother-in-law remained, it was no longer the intense, raw emotion he had felt as a child.
“More importantly, Leo comes first.”
The Era of Destruction had taught him brutally well that the living mattered far more than those who might already be dead.
“I have a question. If I run into a mage or a priest, do you think they’ll notice you’re inside my body?”
[Mages should be fine.]
[Try sensing mana.]
At Lee Baek’s instruction, Alex let out a soft breath and focused. Just like last night, he could feel the surrounding mana.
The mana of Leo sleeping right in front of him, the chickens clucking in the backyard, and the neighbors beginning to move around.
Perhaps because Lee Baek was regulating it, the range of mana perception was perfectly manageable for Alex.
‘Thinking of it as pinching my nostrils shut is a bit funny, though.’
Regardless. Experiencing it again was nothing short of miraculous.
[Look at the mana around you.]
[You only feel your own, right?]
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Just as Lee Baek said, Alex could only feel his own mana—a sprout-like light green energy coming from within himself.
[My soul and mana are completely veiled by your soul, body, and mana. Like a tight lid placed over a jar.]
[So mages won’t be able to detect me.]
That was a relief.
[Priests, on the other hand, I’m not so sure.]
[Divine power works differently, after all.]
[Plus, this is a different world.]
…That, on the other hand, was bad news.
[Isn’t there a priest you know nearby? You could just ask them directly.]
Alex paused in thought, then turned his gaze toward Leo, who was just waking up.
“Uuung… Uncle…”
Leo, as soft and fluffy as a newborn chick, rubbed his eyes and smiled brightly upon seeing Alex already awake. Alex returned the smile warmly.
“Our little Leo! Did you sleep well?”
“Yup! You know what, Uncle? I ate meat in my dream! It was super tasty!”
Alex chuckled at Leo’s enthusiastic announcement.
“Then let’s wash up and eat breakfast.”
“Okay!”
“By the way, Leo. Does Uncle look weird to you in any way?”
“Weird?”
Tilting his head, Leo examined Alex carefully. His sky-blue eyes were filled to the brim with affection.
“Nope! Not at all!”
He looked just like his usual uncle.
Alex laughed and playfully ruffled Leo’s hair, making the boy giggle delightfully.
[I told you to ask a priest, why are you asking Leo?]
Because Leo was the child destined to become a Hero with divine power even greater than the Pope’s.
‘Though he isn’t one yet.’
Even so, Alex somehow felt reassured by Leo’s answer. While he didn’t plan to walk around openly, he felt he could relax just a little bit.
After eating breakfast, Leo went out to play with his friends.
[What are you going to do now?]
[How about going to catch a rabbit? I’ve never tried one, so I’m curious.]
Ignoring Lee Baek, whose mind was already consumed by thoughts of lunch, Alex quietly followed behind Leo.
[Huh? You’re following Leo again?]
A short distance away, Leo was seen excitedly chatting with his friends.
“My uncle cooked meat for me, and it was super delicious!”
“Woah! Really?”
Though he had simply followed Lee Baek’s instructions, Alex’s shoulders puffed up with pride at Leo’s praise.
“Huh? It’s Alex Uncle!”
“Eh? Uncle?”
Not realizing Alex had followed him out, Leo turned around at his friend’s words. Upon spotting Alex, he waved his hand energetically with a bright smile.
“Uncle!”
Alex smiled back and waved.
“Leo, be careful while playing!”
“Okay! We’re going to see the horses today!”
Of course, because it was dangerous, they couldn’t get too close, but if the uncle in charge was feeling generous, he might let them feed the horses.
Alex strolled behind as Leo and the other kids ran off excitedly.
[Huh? You’re following him again?]
[Why?]
“Well… I feel anxious when he’s out of my sight.”
To Alex, this reality still felt like a dream. He was terrified that it was all an illusion, and that opening his eyes would reveal the dead eighteen-year-old Leo once again.
‘Besides…’
He had spent twelve whole years following Leo everywhere. Being apart all of a sudden felt impossible.
[Do you have separation anxiety?]
“Maybe.”
Alex let out a bitter smile.
On top of that…
“Leo!”
“Huh? What is it, Uncle?”
He loved how Leo turned around the moment he called his name. He loved how they could make eye contact and how Leo would answer him.
[Are you crying?]
It brought tears to his eyes.
That was why he couldn’t stop calling him.
“Leo!”
[You’ve called Leo’s name fifteen times already.]
…That many?
While Alex stood stunned, unaware of his own behavior, Leo—who had been playing with his friends—pouted and ran over to him.
“Geez, Uncle! If you keep calling me like that, I can’t play with my friends!”
“…Sorry.”
Alex felt apologetic, but at the same time, a wave of joy washed over him.
Unlike the ‘Hero Leo,’ who had to fight enemies without even having time to complain, the current Leo could throw childish tantrums to his heart’s content.
“You should go do your work too, Uncle. That way we can eat something delicious tomorrow!”
“When you were younger, you used to cry whenever I tried to leave…”
“That was when I was small! Grown-ups have to work!”
Hearing the six-year-old speak so fiercely made Alex burst into laughter.
“Alright, alright. Uncle will go to work.”
“Yup!”
“…I’m really going now, okay?”
“Hurry up and go!”
Alex intentionally turned around with a dejected posture. Then…
“Uncle!”
Leo’s voice called out from behind.
“Do your best! I love you!”
Worried about his gloomy uncle, Leo shouted at the top of his lungs. The surrounding kids giggled playfully.
“I love you the most too, my Leo!”
Alex replied with a beaming smile.
[Are you guys always like this?]
“Pretty much, yeah.”
[An uncle and nephew with no shortage of affection, huh.]
“We’re the only two family members left.”
[Oh….]
Having inadvertently silenced Lee Baek, Alex headed to his field to start his work.
Naturally, his separation anxiety hadn’t magically disappeared, so his eyes kept drifting back toward where Leo was playing.
In the process, the surrounding village scenery caught his eyes as well.
In the ‘future,’ this place had been packed tightly with temporary shelters built by pouring refugees. Right now, however, it was just a peaceful, quiet village.
He truly loved this peace, and he wanted to protect it.
Which was why Alex returned home after finishing his tasks and headed straight to his study for his ‘real work.’
He pulled out a well-maintained sword.
This was a sword his sister had bought him as a gift.
It was also the very sword sixteen-year-old Leo had taken with him when he set off on his journey in the ‘future.’
[Oh! Are you going to do swordsmanship training?]
[So you were a hidden powerhouse all along!]
[I thought you were just an ordinary farmer, but turns out you’re hiding your true power!]
Seeing Lee Baek get strangely hyped up, Alex gave him a bewildered look.
He had no idea what those strange terms meant or why Lee Baek was so excited.
[Wait, so since you’re a farmer, are you a hidden power-farmer?!]
He really had no idea what the guy was talking about.
