Before I proceed further, let's take a step back for me to make some clarification. For the 35 years that I've been in this world, there had only been a very "specific" type of magic that exists here. Unfortunately, we don't have teleportation, fireball, or Rasengan-type magic. There are a few exceptions to this, and you'll discover more as we delve deeper into the story.
What we have are fortification magic or 'enhancements' as we call it. We can enhance physical items or directly on our own bodies. However, what I can tell you is that despite having lived here for 35 years, we have barely scratched the surface on what this world has to offer. All around the world, there are plenty of hidden treasures or secrets awaiting someone to discover. So, my dear daughter, your adventure will certainly be different than mine. And I can't wait to hear all about it.
***
I awoke to the call of jikentette that lingers around the forest, and they usually crow right before dawn. I sat up from my futon and yawned, rubbing my eyes, and got surprised to see my grandfather already sitting by the main sliding door entrance, which is extremely odd since he's never a morning person. He was already wearing a different type of dougi from the usual one that he always wore, seemingly more suitable for combat and mobility. That and the fact that he had his katana tied to his hip at the ready.
"Freshen yourself, boy, we'll be heading out soon. We'll be travelling some distance today," he said.
I obliged and proceeded to splash my face with cold water from the well. Believe me when I tell you that cold water freshens you up in a completely different manner compared to the hot showers that you people take, not that I even have that option right now. I got ready, tied my wooden sword to my hip, and met him at the main entrance.
"Ready? Let's go. We'll have breakfast when we reach the first stop," said grandfather as he stood up. I just nodded and tagged along without question. When grandfather is this serious, I know better to be quiet and just follow his lead.
We reached the first stop when the sun had risen and we stumbled upon a fork that led to several different paths. A wooden arrow signboard pointed the direction to different locations. The arrow pointing straight ahead was written "City Of Pines" on it. That is where I'll be heading next year. Hope I can reach the city walls before winter approaches. One of the other two arrows written was "Gosling's Farm" while the other one was "Forbidden Forest" with the word "DANGEROUS! DO NOT APPROACH!" scratched hastily at the bottom.
Woah, hold up. Isn't that… the direction where we came from? We had been living in the forbidden forest all these while?! Is the forest dangerous, or is it because of grandfather? Or did he carved those words himself after our disturbance with thieves or did they carve it out after the encounter? As I pondered on those thoughts, grandfather made a gesture for us to stop.
"Let's take a break here; you must be getting hungry by now. Into the shade, boy," he pointed towards the shadows beneath some trees by the side of the road. Both of us sat under the cooling shade where he took out some wrapped bamboo leaves. He revealed some onigiri inside after unwrapping them.
"Wow, you always hated wrapping these," I muttered as I reached out to grab one.
"Take two and leave the rest for our journey back," he told me as he took out another wrapping and began eating.
"May I ask where we're going, Ojii-san?" I braved the question, knowing that I might not get an answer.
"We'll be heading to an open field in the direction of the city. There's a monster hunting quest that was requested of me to get rid of," he smiled.
"Monster hunting? Why you specifically? What about the adventurers or soldiers from the city?" I asked with a bemused expression. It was rather odd that my grandfather had to dispose of this monster himself. What's the purpose of soldiers or other adventurers if they require a frail old man to fight for them? He's already in his eighties now.
"Ah, you see, this 'monster' in particular is exceptionally dangerous. Common soldiers or low-ranking adventurers will have a hard time defeating it without the help of an army of a thousand men. And that is if you manage to pierce through its thick hide in the first place," he explained with a sarcastic face while stroking his chin.
I gave him a blank expression. Is he messing with me or something? What he's telling me sounded like some fairy tale or made-up nonsense to either impress or frighten a ten-year-old boy. Either way, I will know what it really is by the end of the day. If it's just some damn slime or snail monster, I'm gonna launch a surprise smack on him.
We departed towards the direction of the city after we're done eating and arrived at our destination probably around late noon. The sun was high up in the sky at this point. We stood at the side of a cliff overlooking an open field filled with tall grasses that had white tips. I just love the smell of grass and its tranquil movement when a gentle breeze caresses it. It really gives a calming effect which soothes the soul. A part of me wishes to say the words "Winds Howling" out loud, if it weren't for a giant green monster fighting those soldiers in the middle of the field right now!
Let me make things clear. A creature with four legs, two wings, and a majestic head is what you call a dragon. A two-legged lizard creature with claws at the tip of the wings is what you call a wyvern. No two ways about it, this is certainly a dragon, and it's a marvel to gaze at. With scales that shimmer a hint of emerald, thorny spines that ran along its spine, thick dark hide that protects its underbelly, and eyes that glow with a rather unsettling hue, dragons are one of the few mythical beings that are just terrifying and captivating to admire.
From the look of things, it was fairly certain that the soldiers were struggling to get their bearings together in fighting the dragon. Some were trying their best to keep the beast distracted, while others had their portable cannons ready to fire at it. I counted a total of about ten cannons based on the wreckage, but only three remained unscathed, for now.
"FIRE!" shouted the soldier in command. The cannon shots hit the dragon dead-on, yet all it did was push the dragon a step back before it rushed forward to destroy the remaining ones.
SMASH!
Well, there goes all of them with a swipe of its tail. The dragon seems unscathed despite taking those cannon shots to its body. Talk about insane durability to withstand all of that as though they were throwing eggs against a rock. Best of all, they're expecting Grandfather to fight this dragon?! I mean, sure, Grandfather is strong and all, but still, this is a freaking dragon we're talking about here.
"Stay right here, boy. Under no circumstances should you move from this spot. Is that clear?" he commanded with a stern expression.
"Sir, yes sir!" I saluted him.
"Keep your eyes peeled and look at the world you're about to venture into. This world is filled with plenty of mysteries and adventures awaiting you to discover. I have the utmost faith that you'll make a name for yourself one day. You are his son, after all," he smiled warmly and leapt off the cliff that we were standing on.
"Wha..?" I couldn't even finish my sentence as I was shocked by that Grandfather's action.
The cliff was at least 30 metres in height, and he just—jumped?! He descended rapidly and rolled off the ground upon touching it, while using his right hand to stop his forward momentum. Was that a superhero landing? This frail old man literally jumped off a cliff as though it was nothing.
He rushed towards the dragon while gripping his scabbard. From where I stood, it was about 500 metres from where the dragon was, yet it didn't take him long to reach it. He began shouting to the soldiers to move back as he approached closer towards the dragon. All the soldiers scrambled back immediately upon spotting and hearing his orders. Many were limping, while some were lying flat on the ground. I guess it's the afterlife for those that couldn't make it.
Alright, what comes next is probably one of the most badass scenes that I've ever seen. Keep in mind that this is an old man fighting a bloody green dragon, not some 1,000-year-old Shinigami.
The dragon turned its gaze towards my grandfather and tilted its head with a puzzled expression, probably wondering why an old man had interrupted it.
Grandfather exhaled and slowly unsheathed his katana. The dragon immediately became cautious and crouched low, baring its fangs at him as though it knew about the imminent threat that was to come. This dragon, who had casually fought off a hundred soldiers armed with cannons, was taking grandfather seriously?
He held his katana one-handed above his head horizontally while still gripping his scabbard with the other. A heartbeat later, a blinding yellow flash burst from his katana. Did grandfather use the reflection of the sun to create that flash or was it directly from his blade? All I know is that despite the distance of where I am, I still had to squint my eyes. The soldiers who were closer were definitely blinded, and so did the dragon. In that short span of time, grandfather had vanished and a copious amount of blood flew in the air.
I began to panic as I couldn't see what had happened. Was grandfather squashed beneath one of the dragon's huge front legs? To my relief, the blood was from the dragon as it had its underbelly sliced. The dragon started to panic and spread its wings in an attempt to fly, but another heartbeat later, there goes the left wing which fell with a loud thud. It was sliced cleanly with searing marks along its wound and steam rising from it. It looked as though the dragon was being cooked alive. I could barely see where grandfather was amidst the chaos and so did the dragon when it began to panic by thrashing its tail and legs around in an attempt to kill him. More blood and wounds appeared from the dragon as time passed and ten heartbeats later, just ten, and the dragon was dead.
Grandfather stood atop the dragon as he emerged from the chaos. Such a magnificent scene with the sun shining on his bald head, reflecting back to its owner. The dragon's body began disintegrating, and it seemed as though the dragon's very soul was being absorbed by Grandfather. Any moment now, and I can see him screaming at the top of his lungs with a "FUS RO DAH!".
I shook my head and quickly snapped out of my imagination. What the hell was I even dreaming about? My imagination went wild for a moment there. You can't really blame me when I was a ten-year-old boy and your frail grandfather single-handedly decimated a dragon with just a katana.
He hopped down from the dragon's carcass and gestured for me to come over. I had to look for an alternate route to descend the cliff as there was no way I could jump down from here and survive the ordeal.
I ran over as fast as I could with my short little legs, and I eventually reached the carcass of the dragon. The soldiers were in awe at the sight of the dead dragon and, of course, my grandfather who had slain it. Many of the soldiers bowed in respect, while the one in command kowtowed to my grandfather, repeating the words "Thank you for saving my men. Thank you so much". Even I bowed to my grandfather as a sign of respect.
"Ojii-san, never will I look at you the same way ever again. You have my utmost respect now and forever," I bowed to him with admiration.
"Ah, it was nothing. It was just a green dragon after all, which was the weakest of its kind. That letter had me worried when the type wasn't mentioned. I'm certain you'll be able to kill one on your own someday. I have my faith in that," he smiled with a warm expression.
You put way too much faith in this ten-year-old boy, grandfather. But this entire ordeal made me realise how weak I really am in this world. I will need to get much, MUCH stronger if I were to stay alive and not end up as dragon poop. Only a year left of training with grandfather before I'm to leave and travel to the city alone and, hopefully, join a guild.
Will I die before reaching the city? Will there be other dragons that I'll meet along the way? I shudder to think of such possibilities.
"Let us head home, boy. The soldiers will handle the dragon's corpse from here," he pushed me along to start walking.
"Are you just going to leave the dragon's body here? Don't you want to, y'know, harvest it for parts or something?" I questioned my grandfather as he didn't bother collecting anything, not even a trophy for all of his hard work. It was as though he was giving away free money while we're drinking soups or stews all the time.
"The soldiers are aware of who I am, boy. They'll be informing the collectors to deposit the funds into my account. There's nothing to worry about. I'm certain the soldiers won't be foolish enough to steal anything. Am I right, lads?" he asked them as he turned his head towards the soldiers with a grin.
The commanding officer rushed and kowtowed in front of my grandfather again.
"I swear on my life that everything will be accounted for! You had saved us from certain death! If any of my subordinates pocket anything, I will personally execute them and prostrate myself in front of you, offering my life!" the officer shouted, sweat streaking down his forehead.
"See? Nothing to worry about. Let's head home, boy. It's a long walk back," uttered grandfather with a soft tone as he gestured for me to follow him. I nodded and followed as we began our journey back to the forbidden forest.
"Ojii-san, when we reach home, can you train me on how to survive? I don't know how much I can learn in a year's time, and I'm worried that I might not make it," I asked him with a shivering voice.
"What do you mean? I have been teaching you on how to survive for these past few years. Did you really think the training you've been going through is something a normal ten-year-old should be undertaking? But if you're adamant, I don't mind giving you more intense training for the remaining year. You better not regret it, boy," he smirked.
"I'm ready, Ojii-san. Please continue teaching me," I bowed to him. I mean, I have to be ready. The world is not going to wait for a nobody like me to be ready. Hence began my insane training for an entire year. Did I regret making that request? Maybe a tad.
***
"Alright, my little pumpkin, time for breakfast before your mum starts nagging us," I told my daughter, who was completely drawn to my story.
Rather curious that a young girl like her would be so keen to listen to her father's story. I bet it's my wife's tactic to keep our daughter occupied so she doesn't disturb her from her daily chores. Hey, I don't mind helping out with parenting in any way, shape, or form. What kind of husband would rather see their wife's angry or tired face than helping out? I have seen it too many times myself and I certainly don't wish to see her in that state if I can help it.
We headed back in, where the smell of fresh bread and soup permeated the living room. Sadly, this world doesn't have rice for us to accompany main dishes. Rice in this world is hard and crunchy compared to the soft and fluffy ones that y'all eat. It's usually served as a side dish or garnish for certain meals.
I reheated the kettle by the fireplace, making sure there's sufficient hot water for the three of us. Then I headed into the kitchen, making sure that our daughter was seated at the dining table while I peeked into the wet kitchen, and there she is, my lovely wife.
Too bad all you could only see her silhouette. Where's the fun in giving away the surprise this early? I gave her a peck on the cheek and carried the tray of food that she had prepared to the dining table. I set the dishes as we waited for her to be seated. No one eats until everyone is at the table, a rule that I decided to implement out of courtesy for my wife.
We made a couple of small banters while we ate. Mostly about topics like the weather, any upcoming quests by the guild, or what supplies we'll need for the coming months. Obviously, my daughter is disinterested in these topics, all the while nudging me to continue with my story. I told her that I would only continue after we finished breakfast and she finished her homework.
Indeed, we have schools here. While it's not purely educational, it focuses on real-world skills in both theoretical and practical lessons. And of course, swordsmanship is included as a sort of self-protection. I figured that it would be beneficial for her to learn things that neither my wife nor I were proficient in, given our lack of education in our time. One good thing about school is that she's able to boost her socialising skills with other children as well.
***
Evening draws ever closer. My wife and I had finished our daily sword practice and were busy preparing for dinner. Life these days is certainly much more relaxed compared to my younger days. It used to be quests after quests to earn money or just to fulfil the weekly quota. Nowadays, the quests given to me are relatively special but way more difficult. I had already attained the highest ranking possible, on par with a guildmaster, but there can only be one Lord in each guild. My wife is obviously the same rank as me too, but she barely takes any quests nowadays. She has chosen to raise our daughter exclusively, though she never neglects her own training. I trust that she's still powerful enough to wallop my ass should she wish to. As for me, I do my part in taking care of my family, but being the head of the household, you have to provide for the family.
We finished dinner, and as usual, I spent some quality time with my daughter. It used to be playing games with her, but she insisted on hearing the rest of the story. It was still early in the evening, and since there are barely any entertainments aside from books or toys, stories are the next best thing to pass the time. So I sat my daughter on our wooden couch with cushions stuffed with dockette feathers and proceeded with my story.