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Chapter 9 – Playing Pretend
The frontier village had been around for around eight years. The center of the village was near the gate where Rodan took Allen before. There were several commercial buildings like shops and inns around that area, which was more densely populated. It was filled mostly with commoners, and not many serfs. The mayor lived there as well.
Allen lived in an area with a lot of fields, on the outskirts of the village.
The bell rang from the village center.
Dong
Dong
Dong
He felt his heart beating in his chest, and was surprised at how excited he was for the upcoming battle.
About 10 minutes after the bell stopped. An opponent, worthy to be Allen’s rival, arrived.
“Alleeeeennnn, let’s play~!”
A little girl with pink hair was stretching her shoulders, her blue eyes shining through the yard gate. Like Allen, she was dressed in the shoddy clothes of serfdom.
In her hand was a roughly hewn wooden sword that didn’t fit the image of a little girl.
Kurena has been coming over to play since October 1st. Apparently, the neighbor, Gerda, heard that Allen had turned three, and that Theresia had given him permission to go out.
On October 1st, Kurena came over with Gerda. For some reason, she had with her 2 home-made wooden swords.
After nap time ended when the bell struck 3, Gerda was on his knees begging Rodan to let Allen play with the tomboyish Kurena.
Everyday since then, when the bell rang, Kurena ran over to Allen’s house. By the looks of it, she started running as soon as she heard the first ring.
(There was a time in my life when I thought, “What’s the point of Gerda being such a muscular gorilla if he can’t control a little girl?”)
Kurena’s father, Gerda, was even more amazing than Allen’s father, Rodan. The veins popped out of his arms. Because of Gerda and Rodan, Allen was under the false impression that all serfs were muscular.
“Hello Kurena. You’re looking well today. What would you like to play today?”
(Based on what she’s holding, I already know, but just to make sure…)
“C’mon Allen… we’re gonna play knights!”
Her face puffed up with an expression that said “Why would you even ask?”
“We’re playing knights, huh? The tree’s gonna get in the way, so let’s go over there.”
“Kay!!”
Kurena had a big smile on her face. It was unwise to fight in a confined space. Allen knew that the topography and the surroundings played a large part in any battle.
(Is this what it meant when it said that this was a fantasy world of swords and magic?)
Two children stood in a large open part of the yard, each holding a rough wooden sword. The swords were a foot long each, about a third of their height.
“Kay then, let’s start~. I am Kurena the knight! Prepare yourself!”
“Okay!”
“No! Say your name too!”
Kurena pouted. If Allen didn’t say his name properly, then the game couldn’t start. To show that he was doing it properly, Allen waved his sword in the air.
(Ugh, this is so embarrassing! Gerda, what are you teaching her!? I’m too old to play pretend like this. Well, I’m actually 3, aren’t I?)
“I am Allen the knight! I accept your challenge!!”
He gripped the wooden sword at waist level with both hands. Although he was mentally 38 years old, he loudly declared his name.
Satisfied with Allen’s introduction, Kurena closed the distance at once. Allen tried to receive her bolt, and was jolted. Using both hands, he swung his wooden sword down with all his might, but Kurena swatted it away easily.
The game of pretend knights continued. Wooden swords clashed. The yard was filled with crashes and clangs.
(W-wait. This is weird.)
From the get go, he was on his back foot. Allen thought that would be impossible because he had a full stack of summon card buffs. But after two days, he was covered with bumps and bruises.
He had adjusted his loadout, swapping out every H-rank card for a G-rank one. He had the two cards he made during his investigation, and the rest were G-rank beast cards, which boosted his attack.
He should be stronger than a 10 year old. He even thought that he might be as strong as an adult. But, even with all his skills and buffs, he was evenly matched with a 3 year old.
(I can’t hit her at all. Should I use more Bird G to increase my agility? No, if I’m any weaker, I won’t be able to parry her attacks. Nothing’s good enough.)
Apparently, Kurena had the higher AGL and ATK. Allen desperately adjusted his position, to avoid being trapped in a corner of the yard by the innocent little demon in front of him.
“I knew it! Playing with you is way more fun playing with Papa!”
“Thank you.”
Kurena’s free hand trembled with excitement as she spoke. It seemed that Allen, the same size as her, with an optimized loadout, was the perfect opponent for her to play knights with.
He responded with a bitter smile. The game had just begun. It went on for an hour, without break.
The serf’s night came early, because the only light they had was from the hearth. A bit past 4pm, Rodan and Theresia came home from working in the fields.
“Oh, what’s this? Kurena, you came over to play again?”
“Yeah! We were playing knights!”
Theresia smiled at Allen and Kurena, who were in the yard, covered in mud. Allen, who had mainly been on the defensive, was glad that the game was over.
“That’s nice. Kurena, it’s going to be dark soon, so you need to get home, okay?”
“Okay! Got it! See you tomorrow!”
The girl grabbed her wooden sword, and ran off like she still had energy to spare.
“Good job. That’s my boy.”
Rodan, who had heard about the situation from Gerda, patted Allen on the shoulder.
The hustle and bustle of dinner prep began. There was one thing that had changed, though.
“Here, Papa.”
“Oh!”
Allen served Rodan some roasted beans. Allen had started helping out with the housework.
“You’re such a good boy, Allen.”
Theresia patted him on the head. At the age of 3, Allen had already started helping out around the house. There was a reason behind this.
Theresia sat down slowly, mindful of her belly. Her belly had grown large – she was pregnant with a second child. The long-awaited second child. It would be born around the beginning of next year. Out of concern for Theresia, Allen had started helping with the chores.
As the meal progressed, Allen addressed Rodan.
“Papa, Mama’s tummy is big, so I’ll help you harvest the potatoes.”
For the past few days, it was hard for Allen to watch Theresia. Allen had the strength of an adult, and he thought it was okay for his parents to know that he was pretty strong, even if he might not want to tell them about his summoner skills.
“……”
Rodan was at a loss for words. He was shocked, frozen, unable to say anything.
“Allen… Allen, you’re just a kid. You should just keep playing with Kurena.”
Unable to sit idly by, Theresia entered the conversation.
“Yeah, Allen. It’s already good that you’re helping out around the house. One day, you’ll be working the fields with us, so just keep playing until then.”
When Allen was Kenichi, he was in charge of cleaning the bath as a kid. Remembering those days, he said that he wanted to help out on the fields.
But for Rodan, working in the fields was labor, the toil of a serf. It wasn’t enjoyable, and he wouldn’t let a 3 year old do it. He didn’t even think it was good for serfs.
There was a big difference in values between Allen and Rodan. 3 years have passed since his reincarnation, but Allen had lived for 35 years as Kenichi.
(Hm. I knew it wouldn’t work. Probably because I’m 3. Well, I guess I’ll have a new routine starting tomorrow.)
Allen knew that he would get turned down.
Still, he wanted to ask. He wanted to contribute to the household if he could.
“Oh, by the way, Kurena was here today.”
“Oh? What’d you two do?”
To shake off the heavy air of the previous conversation, Allen smiled and started talking about what happened with Kurena today.
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