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Adventure Awaits! Huzzah! 04
🕑 Added 2025-03-17 16:13:08 +0000 UTCYear 392, Zofia.
"Hey Himmel, did you know somebody new moved in?" Well... wasn't that interesting.
People didn't usually move to shitty villages in the middle of nowhere. Mostly because they were shitty and also in the middle of nowhere. Though he supposed it would be at least cheap to live here, if nothing else.
He raised an eyebrow. "For real?" He was naturally interested.
Pretty much nothing had changed about Ram Village in all of the eight years he had lived here. So even a minor change like a new villager was something exciting. It was probably just some random dude who didn't have enough money to live in the capital or something, though.
Faye nodded. "Yeah. Though Mom told me I shouldn't go talk with them." Oh? "From what I heard, it's a family of a mother and a son, but the father is a criminal who abandoned his family or something scary like that." That would explain why they moved here.
If they suddenly lost a breadwinner, then living in an actual city would be much harder. Alternatively, they came from some other village, and Himmel should stop making theories before ever even meeting them. In his defense, learning about Alm's brand had warped his view on the world.
Everything was one big conspiracy!
Himmel stretched. "Well, I'm sure they're not that bad, so I'm gonna go talk with them." He didn't fear no criminal!
Also, Faye's mother was probably just being paranoid. In villages like this, newcomers were looked at with heavy suspicion. It was a product of an era where people were a lot more close-minded.
Now, Mycen and Alm had avoided this fate, most likely because Mycen was a respected knight. Meanwhile, Kris and Himmel had... not really avoided this fate. Kris spoke with no villagers, while Himmel had built his social circle by going way out of his way to do so.
At this point so much time had passed that people probably didn't care that he hadn't been born here, however. Suspicion naturally faded over time, and the same would eventually happen to this new family.
Faye gasped. "But... but... what if they really are that dangerous!?" They wouldn't be. "And you shouldn't talk with strangers!" Even brats from stupid villages knew that, huh?
It was the fault of fairy tales and the like. Himmel had lost count of how many stories of children going to the forest and getting eaten by evil witches he had heard about at this point. Much like in his world, stories like these had the objective of teaching kids to not be stupid.
Himmel waved her off. "I will be fine, don't worry. If they try to invite me inside, I shall refuse." And if they tried to force him, he would scream for help. The village wasn't that big, people would definitely hear it.
Faye didn't give up on making me give up. "B-but we're busy playing right now..." True. Right now Himmel was technically a married man. Playing house was weird. "So maybe you should... um... forget about this." The girl was undoubtedly regretting having given him this information.
Himmel could see that... He was too stubborn, however. "Nah, I'm going right now. Besides, if this son is around our age, we can invite him to play with us." He really hoped the guy wasn't.
Not because he was against having a new buddy, but because the future Faye bowl was already gonna be a massacre as it was, it didn't need even more competitors. Couldn't this village get some new girls!?
For a few moments, Faye tried to gather her courage. Eventually, she relented. "Okay... But I'll follow you, Himmel." Awesome.
Now if this family was really made out of criminals or something, he had just put a child in jeopardy. Truly he was a paragon of justice.
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"Excuse me...!" Himmel lightly knocked on the door, looking as confident and cheerful as a dumb child could possibly be.
Sadly, Faye sort of ruined the image by shivering out of anxiety.
Eventually the door was opened... Himmel was greeted by a stunning white-haired woman. "Yes...?" Though her beauty was a bit ruined by the fact that she clearly wasn't having good nights of sleep.
Himmel waved at her. "Hey, Miss, I just wanted to ask if your son wants to play with us." He had learned a few things on the way here.
Since he didn't know where the house of the newcomer was, he was forced into asking questions to the villagers. He then learned both the location of the house and that the child living here was indeed around their age. Being just a bit younger, the brat was six.
Oh, and speaking of this house, it wasn't newly built or anything, which was probably why Himmel didn't notice anything strange. The previous owner, an old man, had simply sold it. Good for him.
The woman reacted in a funny way to his request.
At first, her frown disappeared and was replaced with a smile once she noticed they were just children. It was clear that she had been expecting some annoying neighbors coming to ask questions about her intentions when moving to this place.
And then, once she heard their request, her smile became truly radiant. "O-of course! I'm sure he would love that!" Oh, how wholesome.
Hopefully her kid was just as nice.
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Kliff was okay. Sort of.
"Wow, you can read, Kliff?" He was impressing Faye with his abilities, at least.
The white-haired boy nodded. "Yeah, I learned it in school." That's right, the boy had attended school.
It was something that only existed in big cities, and it was expensive as hell to attend. Schools here were very much not like public education, though he supposed it was already progressive of Zofia to let people other than nobles attend.
Leaving that aside, the fact that Kliff used to go to school meant that his family used to be loaded. Probably even more loaded than Gray's merchant family. Though that had obviously changed for one reason or another.
Ah... Another boy with a mysterious past joined Ram Village, and much like Alm and himself, Kliff had special colored hair. Was that just a thing around in this world? Alm had green hair, he himself had blue, Kliff had white hair... Should he expect purple soon?
Faye smiled. "That's very impressive, Kliff!" Was it? He was six years old and had attended school... "But please put the book down while we play." How very mature of her to ask like that.
It was a boring book anyways. Something about the War of Liberation from Archanea.
There was something interesting about this, however. Books in this world were really expensive due to the lack of a printing press. Pretty much only Kris and Mycen could afford them. So Kliff owning one showed yet again that his family used to be loaded.
Kliff rolled his eyes. "Don't wanna. I'm only here because Mother forced me to leave the house anyways." Wow, what a bratty six-year-old. He wouldn't be saying that a few years from now when his brain recognized Faye as the cute older girl.
Ah, what an amazing world he lived in. His competitors just kept shooting themselves in the foot!
Still, now that Faye was slowly getting angry, it was about time Himmel intervened. "Yes, you are. Your mother wishes for you to make friends." He extended a welcoming hand. "Will you please meet her expectations?"
"No." Was this attitude normal from a six-year-old? "I have no interest in... playing house or whatever. What do you even do?"
Himmel put a hand to his chest. "Currently I am married to Princess Eirika." Faye's doll. "And Faye is married to Prince Ephraim." Also Faye's doll. "Both inheritors to the throne, the two siblings now compete in bloody battle to see who shall take it, while being supported by their spouses in the shadows."
Faye raised a hand. "Also, we drink fake tea and stuff!" It was just water. Or ale.
Yes, they gave kids ale in this world. Zofia was a weird place ruled by a goddess who wanted humans to live eating and drinking all that they liked until they passed away with cum in their pants. Please don't judge our beautiful culture.
Kliff's eye twitched. "Is that type of playing... normal?" What isn't normal is a six-year-old kid asking questions like these.
Himmel squinted his eyes while looking at the boy... Could he be another reincarnator? Himmel wasn't cocky enough to think he was the only one in the entire world. Welp, all he knew was that this world was full of conspiracy! Trust no one, build an army!
Faye giggled. "Of course it is! At least for me and Himmel... The rest of the kids don't really play house with me." Though they no longer excluded her either. He considered that progress. "Oh, we will introduce you to them later!"
Funnily enough, they were probably around the village playing knight right now, which was similar to Faye's idea of fun, except they skipped the political intrigue and went right into stabbing. Children were scary.
Kliff stuffed his nose back into his book. "Riiight... I'm looking forward to it." He was clearly not looking forward to it.
Faye pouted. "C'mon, let's just play already..." She was getting mad. Not only had this brat interrupted them, but he also had been rude to Himmel.
Kliff sighed. "Look, I have no intention of... playing around in the mud like you." Playing in the mud was more of an Alm thing. "I know you two don't really get it, but reading is an important skill that needs to be honed."
Okay, Himmel had officially decided on something... either this brat was a reincarnator like himself, or he was way too socially stunted. Welp, he could also be traumatized from slowly watching his wealthy family lose it all.
Faye tilted her head. "Yeah, I know. I can read too." And so could everybody in his brat group at this point.
Not everybody had equal skills, of course, Himmel had limited time to teach them and also limited resources. Nonetheless, even if this would look incredibly weird for a noble, every kid from his generation in Ram Village could read. And now Kliff had continued with that trend. Which was kind of amazing.
Himmel grinned. "And so can I. It's not exactly a special skill around these parts." Maybe he shouldn't be bragging to the six-year-old... Except Kliff was definitely an adult in the body of a child! He has a hundred percent of certainty!
Kliff, the child, pouted. "But..." He finally lowered his book. "Does this village have a school or something...?" Hah, no. This place wasn't that luxurious.
Himmel sighed. Ram Village sucked. "No. But my guardian taught me how to read, and... well, there are two other kids in this village who also got taught by family. We then kind of taught it to everyone." And by that, Himmel meant his immediate friend group.
Kliff's eyes widened. "That's..." There was a strange smile on his face. "That sounds cool." Oh? Was this boy eventually gonna walk the path of a teacher?
Himmel smiled. "And you know what's even cooler...? Marrying Princess L'Arachel and helping me topple Faye down." L'Arachel was a doll too. Obviously.
Faye gasped. "You wouldn't!" He would one day apologize to his future wife, but right now she was growing way too powerful.
Kliff's pout had returned. "He won't. Because I'm not playing." Geez... Talk about anti-social.
"Look, Kliff..." Himmel put his hands on his hips. "You know what? You don't need to be super interactive or anything. Keep reading your book... just answer when we call you, 'kay?" He snorted. "L'Arachel is gonna have a pretty lazy husband."
Kliff clicked his tongue. "She won't have any husband!" He wanted her to die a spinster!? "Why... why are you even trying so hard to make me play?" And now even Faye looked curious. Probably because she was getting tired of Kliff.
Himmel took some time to respond. Mostly because he couldn't say he thought Kliff's mom was cute and so he felt sorry for her.
Sadly, it seemed he would need to lie. "I just want to play with you, that's all. There's no big reason." Tired-looking women needing help was technically not a big reason. "But..."
Himmel bowed. "I apologize. I have been acting a bit too forceful, haven't I?" Heh, that made him sound like a pervert. Which he was. Or at least he would return to being one someday.
Kliff blushed. "It's... it's fine..." He looked away. "And... and as long as I can keep reading, I don't mind playing with everyone." Awesome, a Kliff has been recruited.
Actually, now that Himmel thought about it, hanging around one protagonist was already pretty dangerous. Should he really befriend the village's second Alm? Well, he had gone this far already...
Himmel sent him a thumbs-up. "Awesome."
And then Faye interjected. "Okay, but he's not marrying L'Arachel."
"Hah? Why?"
"She deserves better than a neglectful husband!" Fair enough.
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Year 393, Zofia.
"So Alm, do you have any idea what your grandpa wants?"
Himmel didn't see Mycen much, but the old knight did have a small friendship with his guardian, Kris. Still, it was rare for him to visit like this, much less send Alm and Himmel to another room while he and his guardian talked.
Alm looked worried. "I don't really know what's going on... but he told me he's gonna leave for a few days." Oh? "I think he's asking your dad if I can stay here while he's gone." That was troublesome.
Not the taking care of Alm part, but the Mycen leaving part. The old knight pretty much never left Ram Village. That changing was probably not a very good sign.
Himmel put a hand on his chin. "Did you not notice anything strange?" Maybe he shouldn't interrogate a kid... but he was genuinely worried about this Mycen stuff.
Alm looked down. "Well... the other day he received a letter... I didn't have an opportunity to read it 'cause Grandpa burned it. He looked pretty worried while reading it, though." He burned it!?
There was a very obvious reason why an old knight of the kingdom would burn a letter. It was confidential information, the type of thing that couldn't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.
Why give that information to a retired knight, however...?
Ah. It was probably because he was an old knight in the first place. Without a doubt, Mycen had accrued many allies... and enemies during his career. Of course they would send whatever this information was to him.
"Hey Himmel, are you alright?" Alm's sudden questioning snapped him out of his thoughts.
Himmel nodded. "I'm fine, just spacing out a bit." In the end, whatever had happened didn't matter to Himmel.
He was a kid, nine years old now. Definitely not old enough to get involved in some conspiracy. Himmel could only hope the same courtesy would be extended to Alm. There was a decent chance this involved his brand... or his Jugdral family in some shape or form.
Himmel smiled. "So, Alm, looking forward to staying in the coolest house in the entire village?" If this really did involve Alm... then he would protect his brat friend. Somehow
Alm tilted his head. "This isn't my house though." Brat. "To be honest... I'm a bit scared. I mean, I never even had a sleepover, and this seems way more than that..." Alm!? Scared!?
Himmel patted his shoulder. "Worry not, my buddy, if you ignore the occasional soul-consuming evils, the house is pretty safe." He supposed Alm's fear was reasonable. He was nine, and differently from Himmel, that was actually true.
"Soul-consuming evils...? Like Kliff when I threw mud at him?" Yes. "Anyways... I just hope Grandpa doesn't take too much time to come back."
"I'm sure he won't."
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Mycen really came back very soon. It took him less than a month to return... Well, that was soon for Himmel, but it had probably been an eternity for Alm, who had lived his entire life with the old man.
However, Mycen didn't come alone. There was a small girl by his side.
Not that Alm cared as he threw himself at the old man. "Grandpa!" The boy hugged the knight as hard as he could, and Mycen quickly returned the favor.
The old man smiled. "Alm. I trust you caused no troubles?" The boy immediately shook his head. Fucking liar, he had woken up Himmel every single goddamned night to talk about something stupid.
Kris laughed. "He's a very mature boy, certainly better than mine." Oi. "It's good to have you back, Mycen. Did everything go well?" Himmel wondered if his guardian was privy to what had happened or not.
Probably not. Kris was not a knight after all. Just a very mysteriously well-educated man.
Mycen hesitantly nodded. "As well as it could have gone..." He had a dark look in his eyes. The type of look that Kris himself wore all the time.
But Himmel was tired of this, his curiosity had reached his peak. "Okay, since we all agreed Alm is more well behaved than me, I'm just gonna come out and ask..." He pointed at the girl. "Who's this?" She immediately flinched.
The girl looked like a wounded animal... a well-taken-care-of wounded animal, if that made sense. She didn't have any wounds or whatever, but it was clear that she looked incredibly uncomfortable here. Her dead silence didn't make Himmel worry any less either.
While Kris pinched his nose in embarrassment, Mycen laughed. "Worry not, boy. This is... Celica. My granddaughter. Please treat her as well as you have treated Alm." Huh... Was she... of Jugdral blood too?
Wait, Faye wasn't the only girl in his age bracket anymore! A new dawn had reached Ram Village!
