I Wanted to Use Magic, So I Trained My Magical Power. I Wanted to Eat Meat, So I Went Hunting. And Then, Before I Knew It, I Had Become the Strongest... - Episode 15: The One Thing You Can Count on Mordan For Is Harassment

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Episode 15: The One Thing You Can Count on Mordan For Is Harassment

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I pull the composite bow and shoot an arrow.

The arrow doesn’t hit where I aimed.

It was the same with the crossbow—it takes time to get used to handling it.

“Well, I’ve got nothing but time during the winter.”

Hmm? You’re asking if I could pull the bow? Of course I can.

A bow that can’t be pulled isn’t a bow. It’s just a curved stick.

…Though I say that, this bow isn’t that super-strong one. It’s a different one.

After that, I asked Kern-niisan to make the iron plate thinner.

Embarrassingly, I couldn’t pull that one at all.

To put it bluntly, the bow I’m using now is the strong-bow junior.

As snow swirls down violently, I train with the bow in my warehouse room. I’m warming myself by the brazier.

Can you get better at training while sitting by a brazier? No, it’s just cold!

Before worrying about getting better, I’d freeze to death.

More than shooting arrows, I need to work on not shaking when I pull the string.

Even though this is just the junior version, it’s still a pretty strong bow.

Anyway, just pulling the string is tough.

—

Dripping water wears through stone.

I, who have been working steadily every day, finally started hitting the target with my arrows.

It’s not stable yet. But one day, I’ll hit a hundred out of a hundred.

—

Today, it’s not snowing. And I can even see the bright sun.

It’s rare to see such a bright sky in the middle of winter unless it’s nearly the end of the season.

As for me, I’m doing practice swings and bow training every day.

And on such a day, of course, something happened.

A villager came to call Father Doga.

Father left with the villager. He looked a bit flustered.

He came back about three hours later, with a grim expression.

Doesn’t seem like it’s anything good.

“What happened?”

“The Damien family of Eynen Castle has surrendered to the Asharl family.”

Whoa… That’s a big deal.

The village we live in is ruled by the Shaif family.

The Shaif family belongs to the Darbahn family. And their enemy is the Asharl family.

Now, the Damien family surrendered to the Asharl family. But it used to belong to the Darbahn family.

In other words, the Damien family used to be allies and are now enemies.

What’s more, the Damien family controls Eynen Castle. It’s located about 10 kilometers south of this village.

That castle used to be the front line against the Asharl faction.

Now that it’s fallen to the enemy, the new front line is Rantol Castle, ruled by the Shaif family.

Luckily, Rantol Castle is about 2 kilometers south of the village. So anyone coming from Eynen Castle would have to pass it to reach us.

This village has been relatively safe. Still, there’s a chance it might no longer be so.

“They attacked in the middle of winter?”

“No, it seems it was by intrigue. Eynen Castle is a stronghold and hard to take. They must have turned them with persuasion.”

Not good news.

This means there’s a high chance we’ll be caught up in war whether we want to or not.

—

That night, I encouraged Kern-niisan and my little brother Maruda to use up all their magic power.

If this village becomes a battlefield, having more magic is better.

I don’t care about temples or taboos. What matters most is immediate safety and benefit.

“Will this really increase our magic?”

“You’re older, so it might not work for you, Nii-san. But Marda should see a boost.”

Since Kern-niisan is already 11 years old, there’s a chance it won’t help him.

You can’t deny that increasing magic power might be more effective when you’re younger.

Still, there’s also a chance it might still work.

“Nii-nii, I feel sick.”

“That’s when you push yourself to use even more magic.”

“Uuuuugh…”

“I feel sick too…”

“That’s where the real test starts, Nii-san.”

“Ugh… Hey, make sure to tell Mom about this.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same.”

I don’t plan to tell our oldest brother Mordan—he’s not trustworthy—but I do plan to tell Mom.

“Dad gets loose-lipped when he drinks. So let’s not tell him. And maybe not tell Mordan either.”

“Yeah, better not tell Mordan-niisan.”

“Right, I think he’d just get in our way. So let’s not tell him.”

“Mordan-niisan is so consistently unhelpful that we can actually *trust* him to get in our way.”

That’s the problem.

“Exactly.”

He’s our older brother, so I wish he’d be more reliable. But he’s grown into a lazy person who doesn’t listen to anyone.

—

The next day, I talked to Mom about how to increase magic power.

“Is that really possible? The priest never mentioned anything. But if you say it’s true, then I believe it. Let’s do it as a family.”

“About that, I don’t want you to tell Dad or Mordan-niisan.”

“Mordan probably would get in the way. But your dad too?”

“Dad gets talkative when he drinks.”

“Ahh… yeah, that’s true. Alright, we’ll tell everyone except those two. You explain it.”

Hearing it was because of alcohol, Mom seemed to understand.

Still, it’s kind of sad that she already knows Mordan would cause problems for us.

As a parent, I wish she’d do something about him. But it’s probably too late to fix Mordan’s personality now.

My oldest sister, Shurama-neesan, is raising a child. So I decided not to tell her.

I also told my grandparents. But they said they’re too old to try something like this.

So in the end, the ones who joined in the magic power increase were:

My mom, Norsh (39 years old),

My second sister, Nyumarin (13 years old),

And my third sister, Ucica (8 years old).