「Yaa」
I loosed the arrow toward the rice-bale target. …Ah, it actually stuck.
「What was with that shout just now?」
「Ehh…」
But that was how Mother did it…
「You missed the center a bit, but it still stuck nicely.」
「Not bad for your first time.」
I don’t know much about archery, but hitting a target at this distance on the first try has to be pretty tough. Honestly, I think even making the arrow fly straight is difficult. The power of the skill really is impressive.
「Holding the bow takes more strength than I expected… and the fingers that pulled the string kind of hurt.」
「You’ll get used to it.」
So it’s just a matter of practice, huh. …Now that I think about it, there aren’t any accessories for archery here. In my previous life, people who shot bows wore some kind of guard on their arms and fingers.
「Go ahead and keep shooting.」
「Okay.」
Following her instructions, I loosed about ten arrows in a row.
Maybe three of them hit close to the center? It took way more focus than I thought it would. If I had to shoot dozens, I’d probably lose focus halfway.
「Any advice?」
「None.」
「…None?」
「Figure it out yourself.」
So hands-off… For someone who nitpicks every little detail about her dolls, the contrast is ridiculous.
And so, I kept training with the bow, experimenting on my own.
When I asked, 「I want to watch you shoot again for reference」 she grumbled. According to her, 「My ideal form and Alec’s are different.」
Still, when I told her, 「I want to carve a doll of you drawing the bow」 she agreed to shoot once more.
◇
「Next is fire magic.」
I must have shot forty or fifty arrows by then. My arms were tired, and my aim was starting to drift. I was resting when Mother suddenly said that.
「Fire magic! So it’s finally time for me to use magic…」
This was it. I felt a swell of emotion.
But then, what would I even use as a target? I couldn’t very well set fire to the rice bale, could I?
As I wondered, Mother suddenly pulled a shovel from her magic bag and started digging a hole.
「Uh…?」
I decided to keep quiet and just watch. She dug surprisingly deep, about thirty centimeters.
Then she pulled out a bundle of thin branches and dropped them into the hole, followed by a layer of dried leaves.
「We’ll use this for practicing fire magic.」
「…………」
This isn’t what I had pictured… I imagined conjuring a flaming bullet or fiery arrow and firing it at a target. But this just looked like a camping scene…
Well, maybe this is how it starts.
「By the way, Alec, have you ever seen fire before?」
「Eh? Of course I’ve seen, 」
…Wait. Hold on. Had I really never seen fire in this life?
Cooking was always done with those magic tools like IH stoves. Even during the cold winters, the heating magic tools kept the house warm, so there was no fireplace.
「Looks like… I haven’t.」
「I see. Well, that’s fine. I’ll light it with magic, so watch carefully. Observe both the act of casting and the fire itself.」
「Okay.」
Mother crouched near the hole and held her hand over the pile of dried leaves. I couldn’t see how she controlled her mana, but she was probably gathering it into her palm.
I focused on the leaves beneath her hand, and suddenly they ignited with a soft pop.
「Amazing!」
I couldn’t help shouting. Honestly, it was no different from using a lighter, but she had done it without any tool or trick. Just pure magic. That was incredible.
Also… so you don’t need incantations? I had assumed I couldn’t use magic until now because I didn’t know any chants.
「This is magic. And this is fire.」
Well, I already knew what fire was… Still, if this was the first fire I had ever seen in this world, it felt oddly moving.
The flames spread from the leaves to the twigs, and from twig to twig, slowly growing larger. Watching the crackling fire, I felt strangely calm. Campfires really do that.
「Fire magic is dangerous. Among the four great attributes, earth, wind, fire, and water, it may be the most dangerous.」
「Really?」
「Yes. Not the spell itself, but the result. Just like this, it could burn everything to ash.」
「Ah, I see.」
So it was basically a warning about fire hazards. That made sense.
「Now, I’ll put it out.」
How would she do it? Could she use water magic too? I watched closely, only to see her smacking the flames with her shovel.
…Well, I guess that works. And using water would have made it harder for me to practice afterward.
「A small fire can be put out easily like this. But once it grows, it becomes impossible to control. Always keep that in mind.」
「Yes.」
「Alright then, Alec. Your turn.」
next chapter: The Advantage of a Reincarnator
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