Chapter 4
I'm three years old.
I've kept up my training all this time, so my stats have grown quite a bit.
【Name】Noah
【Rank】Ⅰ
【Mana】B
【Skills】Appraisal Life Magic Mana Control
【Magic】Heal Cure Enhance
My mana has steadily increased, and I've also learned a new Skill called Mana Control.
On top of that, the magic I'd been using instinctively now has names.
Heal is magic that heals injuries.
Cure is magic that removes illness.
Enhance is strengthening magic that invigorates the body and boosts its abilities.
Now that the magic has defined names, I no longer need to manipulate my mana in such minute detail every time.
Casting magic has become much easier than before.
Recently, I've become able to go outside by myself, so I started researching Life Magic.
I catch a grasshopper in the grass.
I pull off one of its legs.
As soon as I cast Heal, the leg I'd removed grows back with ease.
I pull off another leg.
Heal again.
Once again, a new leg grows back.
No matter how many times I try, the result is the same.
—I see.
There doesn't seem to be any particular limit to how many times it can regenerate.
This time, I try removing its head.
Even after losing its head, its body keeps kicking its legs for a while.
I use Heal on it.
Then—
A head grows back.
"Whoa..."
The words slip out before I can stop them.
"Amazing."
Next, I try removing its head and waiting until its body stops moving.
Once the twitching in its legs stops and it's completely still, I cast Heal.
Its head grows back.
"..."
But unlike before, it doesn't start moving again.
"So if it's completely dead, it doesn't work."
Apparently, Heal can't bring back the dead.
Then what is death? When the heart stops? Or brain death?
Just as I'm about to continue the experiment—
"Noah! Let's play!"
An energetic voice calls out from behind me.
I turn around to see Lisa standing there.
Lisa is a girl my age who lives next door.
Her red hair sways as she beams at me.
【Name】Lisa
【Rank】Ⅰ
【Mana】D
【Skills】Superhuman Strength Body Enhancement
I've been casting Enhance on Lisa as an experiment since she was a baby.
At first, it was just out of curiosity.
What would happen if I cast magic on someone else's body?
Would there be any side effects?
Would her aptitude change?
Whenever Lisa cried, I'd pat her on the head.
Then I'd quietly let mana flow into her.
That was all.
No one noticed.
Not Lisa herself, nor her parents.
As a result, she developed the Skills Superhuman Strength and Body Enhancement.
Apparently, she had an aptitude for improving her physical abilities.
Incidentally, I've been using Enhance on myself, too.
But I still haven't developed any similar Skills. I suppose people really do have different aptitudes.
"What are you doing?"
Lisa peers into the grass.
"Research."
"Research?"
She looks confused.
Well, there's no point explaining it to a three-year-old.
"It's kind of like practicing magic."
"Hmm."
Lisa says that, then picks up a stone at her feet.
Then—
She tosses it lightly.
The stone traces a perfect arc and bounces off a tree far in the distance.
—That's an incredible throw for a three-year-old.
"Noah, you try too!"
Lisa smiles brightly.
Research is important, but maintaining a good relationship with my test subject is, too.
"Okay."
For now, I decide to play.
"Can you see the bird perched in that tree?"
I point to the tip of a branch, where a white bird is resting at its leisure.
"Yeah! The bird's white!"
Lisa squints as she looks up at the sky.
"Can you hit it with a stone?"
"Huh? You mean hit the bird?"
Lisa furrows her brow slightly and looks at me.
"That bird is really tasty."
"Huh? It's tasty? Then I'll try!"
Lisa nods readily and grips the stone again.
"Here goes!"
The stone shoots from her swinging arm like a bullet.
The next instant, it hits the bird in the tree.
"I did it! I hit it!"
Lisa jumps up and down with delight.
"Great! Can you hit that one over there, too?"
Another bird is perched on a branch a little farther away.
"Yeah! I'll try!"
The stone flies again, and this time, too, it knocks the bird out of the tree with perfect accuracy.
Lisa looks up at me expectantly.
"Good job."
When I pat her head, Lisa beams.
I go to pick up the bird she'd knocked down.
Its wing is injured, so it can't fly, but it's still alive.
Perfect.
Holding the bird, I probe it with mana and twist its neck.
The bird stops struggling.
A little later, I feel something slip away.
—Was that life?
Maybe I should investigate a little further.
I turn back to Lisa.
"This one's for you, Lisa. Have your mom cook it for you."
With that, I hand her the bird in my hands.
"Thank you!"
Lisa runs straight home.
I go to pick up the other bird.
This one is still alive, too.
I search with mana for the thing that slipped away earlier.
—There it is.
Gently enveloping it in mana, I twist the bird's neck.
The bird goes limp and stops moving.
I'm still holding what seems to be its life with my mana.
—If this really is life...
I flow mana into it as I heal the broken neck, as if coaxing its life back into place.
The bird in my hands suddenly starts thrashing.
"Ha ha!"
It worked.
Once more, I capture its life with mana and gently pull it out.
The bird stops moving again.
The experiment is a success.
—What happened to my status?
【Name】Noah
【Rank】Ⅰ
【Mana】B
【Skills】Appraisal Life Magic Mana Control
【Magic】Heal Cure Enhance Life Steal Resurrection
I've gained new magic.
It seems Life Magic can do more than just heal.
I pick up the bird and start walking home.
Protein is precious in a farming village.
I'll make sure to eat well and help this body grow.