Chapter 34
It was October 1, and Allen had turned seven that month.
The Allen family had gathered in the earthen-floored entryway.
“Well, we're off.”
“I'm off too, Mom.”
“Take care, Rodan, Allen.”
Rodan and Telesia shared a farewell kiss. Then Telesia hugged Allen, holding him quite tightly, as if they were saying goodbye forever.
Rodan gripped his spear and was handed a bag containing the usual provisions for the hunt. The pack slung across his back was a little larger than usual today, since it also held Allen's supplies.
In early September, the Village Chief had told Rodan that the lord wanted them to hunt more boars. Just as Rodan was considering increasing the frequency of the hunts, Allen proposed a solution.
Both Rodan and Gerda had agreed to Allen's proposal. It seemed like it would reduce both the burden and the risk of casualties.
Today was the day they would put Allen's proposal into practice.
They met up with Gerda. Michilda was there with Lily in her arms and Krena at her side.
“A-Allen! I wanna come too!”
Krena grabbed Allen's arm. She seemed to want to join the boar hunt, too. Gerda looked troubled.
“Haha, maybe when you're a little older.”
“Aww, only Allen gets to go?”
“I'm only going to watch, too.”
Krena puffed out her cheeks, upset that Allen was the same age as her. He patted her head and said goodbye. He told her to play knights at his house without him today, since Mash couldn't go to Krena's house by himself.
Together with Gerda, Allen headed for the gate beyond the residential district.
Allen would only observe this boar hunt; he wouldn't take part in the hunt itself.
Rodan and Gerda had accepted Allen's proposal. But they wouldn't let him hunt. Allen spent nearly an hour desperately trying to persuade them, insisting that his plan would be safe.
Rodan wouldn't budge. He absolutely refused, saying there was no way a child of seven could join the hunt.
Allen asked if he could at least observe. Rodan was about to refuse that, too, but Allen insisted that he needed to check the plan he'd proposed. In the end, they agreed he could watch from a distance. Gerda watched the argument between Allen and Rodan with a look that seemed to ask why Allen was so determined to go.
Allen also asked when he could join the hunt. Would next year be all right? He was told to wait until he was at least ten. Allen thought there wasn't much difference between seven and ten. After all, he'd been thirty-five in his previous life. He'd heard that serf children usually started helping around the house when they were about ten.
Perhaps that was why Rodan had been shocked when Allen offered to help around the house at the age of three.
Serfs had no compulsory education, and they started working at an early age. Commoner children began helping their families at about the same age. Allen had heard that Rodan started working in the family fields when he was ten.
Incidentally, people in this other world came of age at fifteen.
(I can't join for another three years? I want the experience points from Great Boars. I'll have to figure something out.)
Experience points were everything to Allen. Now that October had begun, he planned to resume hunting Alba Herons, but he wanted Great Boar experience points, too. Even though he was supposed to be observing, he was wondering if there was some way he could get involved.
(Hmm, the card adjustments look good, too.)
He was only supposed to observe today, but with Alba Heron hunting coming up as well, he'd adjusted his cards to suit a hunt.
Now that he'd turned seven, his stats had increased from 0.6 times to 0.7 times. He checked them over and over.
【Name】 Allen
【Age】 7
【Job】 Summoner
【Level】 2
【Health】 45 (65) +75
【Magic】 42 (60) +35
【Attack】 16 (24) +75
【Endurance】 16 (24) +18
【Agility】 35 (51) +28
【Intelligence】 49 (70) +10
【Luck】 35 (51) +35
【Skills】 Summon〈3〉, Creation〈3〉, Synthesis〈3〉, Enhancement〈3〉, Expansion〈2〉, Delete, Swordsmanship〈3〉, Throwing〈3〉
【Experience】 600 / 2,000
・Skill Levels
【Summon】 3
【Creation】 3
【Synthesis】 3
【Enhancement】 3
・Skill Experience
【Creation】 51,418 / 100,000
【Synthesis】 51,410 / 100,000
【Enhancement】 51,400 / 100,000
・Available Summons
【Insect】 FGH
【Beast】 FGH
【Bird】 FG
【Plant】 F
・Holder
【Insect】 3 F cards, 3 G cards
【Beast】 15 F cards
【Bird】 2 F cards
【Plant】 7 F cards
Enhancement had reached level 3, and Allen had continued spending Magic every day to earn Skill Experience. Creation, Synthesis, and Enhancement were all halfway to level 4. He expected Summon to reach level 4 next year.
The effect of Enhancement Level 3 was to increase by 50 the two stats that received a Blessing. His Summons grew stronger and stronger as their stats improved.
They passed through the square by the meeting hall and approached the gate. A crowd had gathered there: the men who would be hunting today. They all held spears.
“Oh, here he comes!” Allen heard someone call. Everyone was looking at him with expressions that said they couldn't believe he'd actually come. Still, no one spoke up against Rodan or Gerda.
Rodan had allowed Allen to observe, and Gerda hadn't objected.
Allen, too, had shown strength beyond his years over the past year. Many serfs had seen him hauling water and buying firewood. In a world where people had levels and could become several—or even dozens of times—stronger, it seemed they'd accepted Allen's presence.
“Once everyone's here, we're heading out! We've got two newcomers today, so let's give it our all!”
“Yeah!”
Everyone answered Rodan's rallying cry. He was the leader of the boar hunt, back in action after a year away. Many felt tears welling in their eyes.
Not everyone had arrived yet, but the two newcomers were already there. Both were commoners. Allen had heard they were two of the five who had participated last year. They waited at the meeting place with spears in hand.
There were two ways to increase the number of boars they'd hunted, which had been only ten until now:
・Increase the frequency of the hunts
・Form more hunting parties
Naturally, hunting more often would mean they could kill more Great Boars. They currently hunted in a group of twenty, but if they formed two groups, they could hunt twice as many boars.
Both options required them to bring more people into the boar hunt.
(First, I need to show that these two can hunt without any problems. Then we can start bringing in more people.)
They would start with two newcomers and gradually increase the number of people participating in the boar hunts.
As Allen thought this over, it seemed everyone had arrived.
“Everyone's here. Let's go!”
“Yeah!”
This time, Gerda raised the rallying cry. The men answered enthusiastically and headed for the gate.
(I've been a serf for seven years. At last, I'm leaving the village.)
Allen had also obtained permission from the Village Chief to go outside the village. If Rodan and Gerda asked, even the Village Chief couldn't refuse. Apparently, when they told him Allen was needed for the hunt, he'd looked skeptical.
“Whoa!”
A shout escaped Allen before he could stop himself.
Just a few meters ahead, beyond the wooden gate, lay the world outside the village. The path beyond the gate wasn't well maintained, but it was clearly a road. Allen wondered if the knights who'd come last year had used this route.
There were no trees growing along the road, but beyond it, trees stood sparsely scattered, blocking the view of the horizon. The land outside wasn't as densely wooded as a forest, but it wasn't a grassland either. The nearby trees had been cut down, probably by woodcutters gathering firewood.
Allen was captivated by the vastness of the world.
“Allen, let's go. This way.”
Rodan called to Allen, who had frozen in place.
They didn't seem to be taking the road the knights had used. After passing through the gate, they circled around toward a stand of trees. A dense thicket was visible some distance away.
(We'll walk for about three hours before we reach the first hunting ground, right?)
Today, they were going to the closest hunting ground to try again after last year's failed hunt with newcomers. It was quite a long way from there.
As they walked, Allen reviewed the hunting method he'd heard from Rodan and Gerda. A young man came over to Rodan.
“I'll do my best today!”
(Huh, I recognize him.)
Apparently, he was one of the commoner newcomers.
“Yeah. Well, you probably won't have to push yourself too hard this time.”
Rodan said that, telling the young man not to overexert himself.
(Oh, he's the young man who came to visit last year. He's joining again this year.)
Rodan had asked the Village Chief to recruit two newcomers, whether they were serfs or commoners. The Village Chief had agreed, and the two men joining them today were the result.
The twenty-three men set out for the hunting grounds where the Great Boars lived.