In the warm noon breeze, Aeris broke multiple wooden boards effortlessly with his fireball magic.
"That was amazing, Aeris," Elisia said with a soft smile as she looked at the shattered boards.
Aeris nodded before sitting down on the grass, taking a deep breath.
"I'm really happy to learn these magic skills," he said softly.
Elisia looked down at him with a faint smile.
"It's been three years since you came into this world. Now you're almost eleven years old, and you're already mastering these magical skills perfectly."
Aeris glanced up at her, giving a suspicious side look.
"You're being very nice to me today… aren't you?"
Elisia snapped her fingers.
In an instant—
Aeris was thrown straight into the nearby wall.
"You're still an idiot," she said with a sigh before walking back inside.
Aeris collapsed onto the ground before slowly standing up, wincing in pain.
"…That hurt."
"Aeris," Jace called out, looking at him with a confident smile. "I hope you've finished your training. Why don't you come with me and help defeat some monsters?"
Aeris looked at him thoughtfully.
Helping Jace could be useful. He's only twenty-three… which means he's younger than me. As a senior citizen, I probably shouldn't refuse.
He nodded and started walking toward him.
Jace looked at him with a confused expression.
"What were you just saying to yourself?"
"Nothing, Dad," Aeris replied awkwardly, scratching his head.
As they walked through the dusty street, people looked at them and bowed respectfully.
Aeris smiled to himself.
That's nice… Since I'm from the master family of this village, that technically makes me the lord.
"What are you smiling about, Aeris?" Jace asked, glancing down at him.
Aeris quickly straightened his expression.
"Nothing… I was just happy to see this beautiful village."
Back at the house, Liora sat on a chair, sipping tea calmly.
"It's wonderful to have Aeris in our home. He learns quickly and is becoming very mature."
Elisia nodded slightly.
"That's only natural. He's a unique child blessed by the Goddess of Eternity. He'll become an adult in just two years… perhaps we should hold a grand celebration."
Liora clapped her hands excitedly.
"That's right! We'll hold a huge party and invite masters from other villages!"
"That would be wonderful," Elisia replied softly.
Meanwhile, Aeris stopped in front of a group of people.
"This is our village team," Jace said confidently. "They're the strongest here. I rely on them when hunting monsters."
A woman stepped forward, looking down at Aeris.
"Jace… this boy looks about eleven. Do you really think he can fight monsters?"
Jace smiled confidently and gestured toward Aeris.
"He's very strong. And the best part—he can use one-star magic with ease."
The woman's eyes widened slightly.
"Well, that's expected if he was blessed." She smirked. "My name is Luna Scarlet. I'm nineteen."
She gestured to the others.
"This is Paul, our tank… and Annie, our healer. I'm a mage, just like you."
Annie leaned down with a gentle smile.
"Hello, sweetie," she said before pinching his cheeks.
Aeris's face stiffened.
This world keeps treating me like a child… If they knew I'm mentally almost thirty…
Paul clapped his hands and lifted his massive hammer.
"We should get moving. Monsters have been appearing more often lately."
Jace nodded and pointed toward the village gate.
"Let's go."
Aeris followed them with a blank expression.
I just hope everything goes well…
As they stepped out of the village gate, they slowly approached a dense forest.
"Stay alert," Jace said seriously. "Monsters can attack from anywhere."
Aeris suddenly dropped to one knee and placed his hand on the ground.
Jace frowned.
"What are you doing, Aeris?"
Annie tilted her head.
"…Do you need to go to the bathroom?"
Aeris ignored her, closing his eyes.
"There are seven goblins on the right… and four on the left. They're moving toward us with stone weapons."
Everyone froze.
Luna smiled slightly.
"You're impressive."
"Get ready!" Paul shouted.
Suddenly, seven goblins jumped out from the grass.
"They're mature goblins!" Annie said nervously.
"That doesn't matter," Luna replied calmly as she formed a fireball and launched it.
Jace rushed forward, slicing through a goblin before finishing it instantly.
Paul crushed another under his hammer.
"These are weak."
Aeris watched them with wide eyes.
They're strong… but I'm still the oldest here. I should protect them.
He raised his hand.
"They're coming from the left—be ready!"
Four goblins jumped out, throwing stone weapons toward him.
Aeris smiled slightly.
"You're done."
A massive fireball formed in his hand—
—and exploded forward, destroying the weapons and burning all four goblins instantly.
Annie stared in shock.
"You're really strong, Aeris."
Aeris sat down, breathing heavily.
"…Yeah, but that used a lot of mana."
Paul smiled.
"You helped us a lot."
Jace nodded proudly.
"You're getting stronger every day. At this rate, you'll become a great master of this village."
Luna gave him a flat look.
"Don't put that burden on him so soon."
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed through the area.
"What was that?" Annie asked nervously.
Jace tightened his grip on his sword.
"…Orcs."
Paul frowned.
"But we wiped them out last week…"
Aeris looked around seriously.
"I can't sense their exact location… their mana is higher than mine."
Three large orcs stepped out from between the trees.
Annie stepped back in fear.
"Mature orcs…"
Aeris clenched his fists.
I can't die again… I need to recover my mana quickly.
"If things go wrong, take Aeris and run," Paul said seriously before charging forward.
The battle began immediately.
Luna attacked with fire.
Jace struck with his sword.
Paul used brute force—
—but the orcs barely reacted.
"Their skin is too tough!" Jace shouted.
Aeris stepped forward.
"I have an idea."
Everyone looked at him.
"Burn their skin first. Then attack. Their defense will weaken."
Paul nodded.
"That could work."
Luna raised her hand.
"Let's do it."
Her fireball struck an orc, burning its skin.
Jace moved instantly—
—and cut its neck cleanly.
Paul crushed another with his hammer.
The last orc turned and tried to run.
"You'll pay for this!"
"Not happening," Luna said with a smirk.
She disappeared—
—and instantly reappeared in front of it, engulfing it in flames.
Aeris's eyes widened.
"You can teleport?"
Luna appeared behind him.
"Of course. But it consumes a lot of mana."
Aeris smiled brightly.
"Can you teach me?"
She crossed her arms, thinking… then nodded.
"Fine."
Paul laughed.
"We survived because of you, Aeris."
Jace patted his back.
"You did great."
Annie smiled and pinched his cheeks again.
"That's right."
"…Please stop doing that."
In the evening, the door opened.
"We're back," Jace called out.
Liora approached with a smile.
"How was your day?"
Aeris smiled brightly.
"It was amazing."
Elisia crossed her arms.
"You still need to learn two-star magic."
Aeris sighed slightly.
"I will."
He walked toward his room, tired—but satisfied.
After a while, Elisia, Liora, and Jace sat calmly around the table.
"I've been thinking about organizing a party when Aeris becomes an adult," Liora said happily, glancing at them.
Jace looked at her, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"A party… that sounds great," he said slowly, before narrowing his eyes. "But I need to confirm something first—are you planning to invite women or not?"
Smack.
Liora casually picked up a plate and slammed it against his head.
"I hope that answers your question," she said calmly.
Jace sat there for a moment, then smiled and started whistling as if nothing had happened—despite the thin line of blood slowly running down his forehead.
"I'm already feeling excited for this party," he said confidently.
Elisia stared at both of them in silence before letting out a long sigh.
"This family is full of idiots…" she muttered under her breath.
Then, after a brief pause, she gave a small, warm smile.
Liora nodded firmly and straightened her posture.
"Then it's settled. We're organizing a grand party."
Her eyes gleamed with excitement—while Jace continued whistling, still bleeding like it was completely normal.
Elisia looked at both of them with a soft gaze.
"We need to keep helping Aeris improve his skills. He's learning very fast… and that's a good thing for all of us," she said gently before walking toward the kitchen.
Liora nodded, then stood up and stretched her arms upward with a soft yawn.
"That's true. We should give him more time and guide him properly. Who knows… he might become incredibly powerful—maybe even a genius."
Jace nodded, casually wiping the blood from his forehead as if it didn't matter.
"We can think about all that in the morning," he said with a confident wink. "Why don't we just enjoy the night for now?"
He reached out and took Liora's hand.
Elisia closed the kitchen door quietly before heading toward her room.
"I'm going to sleep," she said calmly, not even glancing back.
Liora glanced at Jace, her expression turning flat.
Before he could say anything, she pulled her hand away and walked toward her room.
"You're sleeping out here tonight," she said coldly.
Bang.
The door shut right in his face.
Jace stood there in silence, staring at the closed door like his soul had just left his body.
After a moment, he slowly turned toward Elisia's room, regaining his confidence like nothing had happened.
"Hey, Elisia," he said smoothly, knocking once. "Mind if I sleep with you tonight?"
The door opened.
For half a second, there was hope.
Then—
Thwack!
A leather shoe flew straight into his face with terrifying accuracy.
Bang.
The door closed again.
Jace stood frozen, a shoe still stuck to his face… before it slowly slid down and dropped to the floor.
"…I see how it is."
He turned back toward Liora's door and knocked desperately.
"Please, Liora! Open the door! I can't sleep outside!"
The door opened slightly.
Jace's eyes lit up with hope—
Only for a pillow to be thrown directly at him.
"Sleep peacefully," Liora said coldly.
Bang.
The door slammed shut again.
Jace stood there, holding the pillow in silence.
A long pause.
Then he sighed, dropped to the floor, and used the pillow like it was his last remaining dignity.
"…This is a cruel world."