Morning sunlight slowly spread across Hage Village.
The church yard was already active.
A wooden cart stood near the gate, and Asta and Yuno were loading it carefully.
Large baskets of eggs from the church coop were placed inside first. Over the past few years the chicken coop had grown much larger, producing far more eggs than the church children could eat.
Some hens were also placed into small wooden cages.
Those would sell well in the town.
After that, Asta lifted another heavy bundle and placed it onto the cart.
These were leather sheets.
Over the past year Asta had hunted many animals in the forest—rabbits, several wild boars, two wolves, and even a forest jackal. Instead of wasting the hides, he had learned from a hunter in a nearby village how to turn animal skins into leather.
In exchange for some meat from his hunts, the hunter had shown him the process.
Cleaning the hide.
Stretching it.
Drying it.
Treating it until it became usable leather.
Since then, whenever Asta hunted something large enough, he prepared the leather himself.
Now several thick sheets of boar leather, wolf leather, and softer rabbit leather were tied neatly on the cart.
Sister Lily stepped outside holding a small cloth pouch.
"Wait," she said gently.
She handed Yuno a small list.
"Flour, salt, cooking oil… and a few other things."
Yuno nodded quietly and tucked the list away.
Behind them, Father Orsi crossed his arms.
"The road is long," he said.
"Don't cause trouble in the town."
Asta grinned.
"We won't."
With that, the two boys began pushing the cart down the road.
---
The trip to the town took several hours.
The road stretched through open fields and patches of forest. Farmers were already working their land as the sun climbed higher in the sky.
Pulling the cart wasn't difficult.
Both boys were used to far heavier training.
After nearly three hours, stone walls and tall wooden gates appeared ahead.
The town.
Compared to the quiet village, the town felt alive.
Merchants shouted prices.
Blacksmith hammers rang loudly from workshops.
People moved between stalls carrying sacks, baskets, and crates.
Asta and Yuno guided the cart into the market square.
The eggs sold quickly.
Fresh eggs from village farms were always valuable.
By the time the last basket was counted, the merchant paid eighteen silver coins.
That money belonged to the church.
Yuno carefully tied the pouch and stored it separately.
Next came the leather.
A leather merchant examined the sheets one by one.
He stretched a thick piece of boar leather between his hands.
Then he looked at Asta.
"You prepared these yourself?"
"Yes."
The merchant nodded slowly.
"Good quality."
He thought for a moment.
"Twenty silver."
Asta didn't immediately accept.
"If the price is fair, I'll come here often," he said calmly.
"I hunt regularly. If you give good prices, I'll keep bringing leather."
The merchant studied him for a moment before nodding.
"Alright. Twenty silver."
The deal was made.
---
After finishing their sales, the two boys began buying supplies.
First stop was the blacksmith.
Asta had something specific in mind.
"I need a training sword," he said.
The blacksmith waited.
"Not sharp. Just heavy."
Asta showed the approximate size with his hands.
The blacksmith stared.
"That's not a sword," he said.
"That's a slab of iron."
"That's fine."
Since the blade didn't need sharpening or balancing, the blacksmith simply shaped a large flat piece of iron.
It took less than two hours.
The finished weapon was huge.
Heavy.
Perfect for training.
Next, Asta bought thick iron chains.
He also bought a hammer and a set of chisels.
Those would help him break large rocks into pieces for weight training.
Grinding stones were added as well for maintaining weapons.
Then he purchased several small throwing knives.
They were simple blades, but balanced well.
Meanwhile, Yuno moved through the market gathering the groceries from Sister Lily's list.
Flour.
Salt.
Cooking oil.
A few other small items.
Before leaving, Asta also stopped by a small sweets stall.
He bought several wrapped candies.
"For the kids," he said.
The vendor smiled.
---
The sun had begun lowering when they finally left the town.
The cart was heavier now with tools and supplies.
But neither boy seemed bothered.
The road back to Hage Village was quiet.
The sun had already begun to sink when Asta and Yuno pushed the cart along the dirt road.
They had barely left the town behind when four rough-looking men stepped onto the road.
One of them grinned.
"Well well… looks like village kids had a profitable day."
Another man raised his hand and small flames flickered around his fingers.
Fire magic.
Beside him, another lifted several rocks from the ground with weak earth magic.
Yuno's hand slowly lifted as a swirl of wind gathered around him.
But before the men could act—
Asta moved first.
In a single step he closed the distance and drove his fist straight into the stomach of the closest man.
The man's breath exploded out of him as he folded and collapsed to the ground.
The other two reacted immediately.
A fireball shot toward Asta.
At the same moment several rocks flew toward him from the side.
Asta twisted his body and slipped past the fireball.
The rocks smashed into the ground where he had stood a moment earlier.
Before the second attacker could prepare another spell, Asta rushed forward.
His fist shot upward.
A powerful uppercut lifted the man completely off his feet.
As the man fell, Asta grabbed his leg and spun his body.
The unconscious body slammed directly into the third attacker, knocking both of them down in a heap.
At the same time, the fourth man tried to cast spell—
But a sudden burst of wind slammed into his chest.
Yuno's magic knocked him flat onto the road.
Silence returned.
The entire fight had lasted only a few seconds.
Asta dusted his hands.
"Let's go."
Yuno looked at the fallen men quietly.
For a long time he had believed magic decided everything.
But watching Asta defeat three mages with nothing but speed and strength…
made him think differently.
Without saying anything, Yuno grabbed the cart again.
The two boys continued their walk back toward Hage Village.