The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Page 80

The silvery tides washed countless fish, shellfish, shrimp, and crabs ashore, only to recede just as quickly and mercilessly.

Xiao Xinnv threw them all into a basin of fresh water to wash them. In between her busy moments, she looked up at Qingzi, who was standing there in a daze, with a puzzled expression.

"Sister Qingzi? There's still a while before dinner. If you want to kill some time, go boil some water over there."

He pointed to a pot of fresh water on the other side, where no flames were rising from the stove beneath it.

"Oh well."

Aoko snapped out of her daze, nodded obediently, and ran over to light the blue flames on the stove.

Her gaze fell on the child who was busy cleaning the seafood with suspicion. This time, she saw clearly that a familiar dark golden light flashed in the child's hand, and then a brush of just the right size, as if it were tailor-made for him, was held in his hand and he began to give the pile of seafood a final bath.

Is this child really good at managing money?

No, what's with this feeling that I'm the only one who can't do it?

No, this Reality Marble looks too realistic and goes against the common sense of magic, doesn't it?

Moreover, including those gloves, that brush, that pile of kitchen utensils that appeared out of nowhere, and the seafood that was about to be cooked...

"Little believer."

"Hmm? Is there something you need, Aoko-neechan?"

"When you awaken this ocean, and when you do these things, do you really not need even a little bit, not even a tiny bit of magic?"

"Oh right, didn't I say that? I've known this since I was born."

"Now, Sister Aoko needs a high-purity sapphire, about the size of an egg, shaped like a six-pointed star, with her name engraved in the center, as a material for casting magic spells."

"Wait a moment, okay, here you go."

Busy tending to the seafood, the nun didn't even look up as she tossed out a dark blue six-pointed star that landed on the beach near the stove.

Aoko picked up the dark blue six-pointed star from the sand and saw that the name Aozaki Aoko was engraved in the center of the star, with even a careful annotation in Romanized form.

Needless to say, the quality is genuine sapphire.

Having frequently dealt with these kinds of gemstones during her magic training, Aoko naturally couldn't possibly mistake them.

"Little believer."

"Hmm? What is it now? There's still a while before dinner."

"I need to correct a previous misjudgment."

"?"

"The silvery ocean behind you combines the characteristics of both the [Unique Boundary] you've developed through research and the [Imaginary Manifestation] you were born with. Without a doubt, this is a miracle that rivals magic."

"There are more and more words I don't understand, Aoko-neechan."

"Of course, since this is beyond Aoko's knowledge, let's just assume it means very strong."

"That's a matter for the future. Right now, I'm a genuine prisoner."

"That's because you've never thought of using this ability to fight, except for everyday life. In the coming days, I will teach you how to use this ability within my capabilities. Let's fight together to escape, little nobunaga."

After reaching a conclusion, Aoko smiled brightly and made a firm decision in her heart.

We absolutely cannot let this child go astray.

Chapter 136 The Cyan Hero (Part 7)

There exist otherworldly realms that are not other worlds, such as isolated villages or evergreen kingdoms, which are fantastical worlds depicted by the elves who are the masters of these otherworldly realms.

【Concretization of Imagination】, as the name suggests, is the ability to turn imagination into reality.

The ability possessed by spirits who are the senses of nature/the world allows them to connect their consciousness directly with the world, transforming it into an environment that conforms to their imagination.

The size of its manifestation varies depending on the level of the spirit.

However, only nature and spirits/oneself can be changed; there is no way to change an intellectual individual independent of nature.

The form of a [Property Boundary] cannot be freely determined.

Because it is a thing that is concretized by the sorcerer's unique inner world, the sorcerer cannot add their own will to the form of the barrier, making it far less versatile than the former.

Conversely, it is superior to the Reality Marble in that it can influence even non-natural things.

Although one can freely create world settings, this only affects the [Imaginary Manifestation] of spirits/oneself and nature.

Although its form is limited to one type, it is a [Property Boundary] that can make everything follow its own rules.

Both are "otherworld creation methods" that are both free and limited, similar yet completely different.

The mystery born from the extravagant fusion of the two is the only explanation that Qingzi, having exhausted all her knowledge of demonic arts, can offer to this child.

Although it sounds like it takes a lot of brainpower, the truth is that Aoko is currently filled with leisurely ease.

Sitting leisurely on the snow-white beach, watching the sea, holding a small celadon bowl in my hand, filled with delicious fish soup, while a pot beside me is bubbling with all kinds of small seafood.

Xiaoxin has above-average skills; she's at the level where she can barely make enough to eat herself and even feed others.

In addition, the freshness of the ingredients and the clever cooking method allow this steaming hot seafood soup, which is only basically seasoned, to break free from its constraints and enter the ranks of delicacies in the freezing winter months.

Because she grew up in the mountains near the city, Aoko's impression of the ocean was limited to the aquarium she had visited a few times. After entering high school, she moved out of her hometown and lived with another witch on a hill in Misaki. Her personal freedom increased slightly, and in addition to studying magic, she did have plans to go on sightseeing trips to the seaside.

But before that, I met a child who carried an ocean with her everywhere she went. Could it be said that her travel plans came true ahead of schedule?

He disappeared on his way home from school, was in danger several times, then met this mysterious child, and now sits on the beach watching the sea and enjoying dinner without any sense of crisis.

Even the words "bizarre and outlandish" cannot adequately describe the series of extraordinary events that Miss Aoko encountered today.

While enjoying dinner, Aoko actually thought about many things.

For example, why would such a precious child be imprisoned in such a place?

For example, what exactly is the true form of the demon king who imprisoned this child?

For example, if I successfully bring this child home, how many kinds of magic rituals to avoid misfortune and bring good fortune will I have to discuss with Yu-chu?

Too much luck can actually lead to a sense of crisis.

The more mysterious and miraculous the little believer is, the more difficult the challenge of getting him out of here will be.

There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

There was no dinner either.

Are there really any precedents of a half-baked magician like myself who struck it rich by sheer luck and then rose to become a very important figure in the mystical world?

How can we wait for such an incredible, fairytale-like adventure!

It seems there has indeed been such a precedent, and the person involved is not entirely unfamiliar to Aoko.

The activities take place in the countryside of the Far East. This shallow magical lineage, passed down for only six generations, is regarded by the arrogant nobles of the Clock Tower of London as lucky country bumpkins, tasteless nouveau riche, and other such terms. They are so jealous that they grit their teeth, yet they are powerless to do anything about it. By the third generation, the lineage is still unknown, but they unexpectedly unearthed a crooked spiritual vein in the mountains and successfully reached the source, obtaining a great and mysterious magical family called the "Fifth Law". Their surname is Aozaki.

What?

It turns out that the lucky person who was favored by Lady Luck and achieved great success was my grandfather, who lived in the cave workshop behind our yard!

The magic of the Aozaki family has now been passed down to the sixth generation. Half a year ago, the grandfather resolutely gave up his eldest sister, who had been studying diligently for nearly twenty years to inherit the magic, and instead decided to let him, who had been living in a world with no connection to magic for fifteen years, inherit the magic crest of the Aozaki family.

Setting aside all factors related to personal will, and simply examining the facts, those in the know on both sides would consider this an utterly incomprehensible decision.

Some even suspect that the grandfather has developed Alzheimer's disease.

After all, the eldest sister is a magic genius, while the younger sister is mediocre.

“Your sister is dying, so now it is up to you to inherit the Aozaki family.”

Such decisions forcibly pulled him from his pre-planned life into a strange and mysterious world.

Looking back now, could it be that her grandfather saw in her the same kind of good fortune he had in his youth, which is why he decided to let her, an unrelated person, inherit Aozaki's mark?

Aoko sipped the fish soup from her small bowl, her gaze lingering for a moment on the other side of Xiaoxin, who was engrossed in eating.

He then shook his head and categorically rejected this hypothesis.

Aoko does not wish to achieve success through luck rather than hard work.

And no matter how you look at it, this assumption is too outrageous!

"If you feel pain, just admit defeat."

After dinner, the believer concealed the silvery-blue sea.

The clearing in the center of the Black Forest was once again bathed in the dim golden light.

He curled up lazily on the soft sofa that had appeared after he had listened to Aoko's test, his eyes hazy and drowsy, like a dozing puppy.

Feeling neither asleep nor awake.

Towards the end of dinner, the conversation shifted to Aoko, and Nobunaga learned that this outsider, who had appeared out of nowhere, had only been forced to become a "hero" six months prior.

Although I couldn't quite understand the special terms in her words, I could vaguely understand that the outsider named Aozaki Aoko was born into a small family with a magical heritage.

Limited resources meant that this family's magical heritage could only be passed down to a single lineage, but Miss Aoko was temporarily reinstated after being abandoned for fifteen years, and eventually became the family's magical heir.

In addition, there seems to be an interlude about an older sister who, as the heir, had been studying the demonic path for nearly twenty years, only to be kicked out at the last minute, and who, in extreme grief and anger, broke with her family and ran away from home.

For the believer, siblings were just a novel concept, but the similar experiences of blood relatives turning against each other and being pulled out of ordinary life eventually led him to ask that question.

"Don't you feel pain, Aoko?"

I don't know if it's because the title "older sister" wasn't added, or for some other reason.

After he asked that question, the young woman from out of town stared at him blankly for a long time.

Finally, with a complex sigh, she gave him her reply.

"To be honest, I never thought I would ever hear anyone say thank you, little believer."

"Why should I say thank you, Aoko-neechan?"

In a hazy, dreamlike state of weariness, the believer simply closed her eyes and asked softly.

"I've been wanting to say this since the beginning. Little Nobunaga is really good at understanding people's hearts. Before she was imprisoned, she must have been a popular child who could read the atmosphere and had many friends at school."

""

No way! Those "IF" world lines that only exist in fairy tales are completely impossible.

The ability to read people's minds is only used for self-defense; I've never had a true friend.

The believer frowned slightly, but because he was dozing with his eyes half-closed, her expression was not obvious.

Sitting on the other side of the sofa, Qingzi had been observing his feigned sleeping face. There was a slight hesitation in her expression, but it eventually dissipated as she let go of the faint sense of loss.

"Little believer, since you're the first person to ask me this question, I'll only tell you this quietly from now on. If you dare to spread it around later, don't blame me for being mean to you."

"I don't have that kind of interest, so does that mean the people around Aoko-neechan are just cheering and applauding for you?"

"There would be no cheers or applause, but without a doubt, in the eyes of everyone who knows the truth, including my eldest sister, it is a joyous occasion that I am able to inherit the Aozaki family's mark, no matter what."

"The premise is that you can still laugh like an idiot even when you have to give up everything you have and the new future is pitch black, right?"

"That's right. However, Aoko-neechan simply couldn't find any other way but to accept it. She just didn't have the courage to give up."

"If you feel pain, just admit defeat."

"You can't give up, little Xin Nu, because your only strength might be your unwillingness to admit defeat."

[If we leave it to Aozaki, there won't be any problems]

[If it were Aozaki, he could definitely do it easily.]

[You're so strong, Aozaki.]

[Wow, Aozaki, you're really amazing!]

So there's absolutely no need to worry about Aozaki.

[Only Aozaki would take on this kind of work without considering personal gain or loss.]

You must hear this kind of thing a lot, from the people around you, you silly sister.

"Little believer, how do you know these things?"

As if a sore spot had been touched, Aoko's face showed a brief moment of surprise, which then turned into doubt, and she asked that question.

What an idiot woman.

Isn't the answer obvious?

"Silly sister, if you replace [Aozaki] with [Hearn], you'll understand after using your brain a little. That's why I've always believed that the joys and sorrows of humankind are not shared."