Otherworld Exchange

While I plowed the field with my hoe, I wiped away the sweat on my forehead and took a moment to gaze up at the cloudless sky. What a refreshing sweat, I thought.

Exercise is so good for you.

I had been engaging in physical activity for the past six and a half years. It’s important to stay active, I contemplated, sounding like a true middle-aged man.

I came to the village to help with the work. It’s an important job for me as the Lord’s child. According to my father, the lord’s job entails a wide range of responsibilities, the most essential of which is accurately understanding the state of the people who live within the domain.

We must communicate with them in order to build a positive relationship. We could all be prosperous if we respect one another, recognize our responsibilities, and live our lives.

This was no simple task, but my father had accomplished it. It’s incredible. If there were business leaders like him in modern times, everyone would want to follow them.

That’s why, under the guise of assisting our father, Marie and I also assisted the villagers with their work. Understanding the situation of the village as children helped establish relationships and a sense of our lordly responsibilities.

Well, it wasn’t like we’re being forced to do it. Our parents were quite indulgent with us, teaching us by example rather than nagging. I could handle it as an adult, but if I were a child, I might have been spoiled.

Marie, on the other hand, was an exception. Though she could be selfish at times, I thought she was one of the most dependable children I knew.

The first field we went to had already been plowed, so we worked on another. Because it was almost time to plant the seeds, soil preparation was the priority at the time.

The adults were in charge of harvesting and managing the crops. We would be at risk of wasting crops because we’re just children, and we’re still too young to manage them.

The five of us, myself, Marie, Maron, Red, and Rose, were all working in the fields, as usual.

“Phew! We’re almost done around here!” Maron said, full of energy.

The cheerful chestnut-haired girl always had a smile on her face, even when covered in mud. We had been working together for several months, so we were quite used to each other. We had no problem talking normally, though I still felt a little nervous sometimes.

“What are we going to do next?” I asked.

“We were thinking of going to the forest to gather some mountain vegetables. You two are done with work, right? Thanks for your help!” She said.

“Are you sure? I can help.”

“Nah, it’s okay. We don’t want to keep you. Theon and Marie are kind, but you’re the lord’s children, so we have to be mindful not to cross any lines,” she explained.

Maron treated us like friends, but she had her boundaries. Our relationship would be ruined if those lines were crossed. It’s important to establish clear positions, but I thought it’s difficult to understand that as a child. Maron was surprisingly mature, perhaps more so than Marie.

“Okay, let’s clean up our tools,” Maron said with a smile, starting to tidy up the equipment. I followed suit and gathered the hoes and baskets.

“Hey!” With a bright smile on his face, Red remarked.

This boy was a passionate type, the kind that would be the center of attention in a Japanese classroom.

“How’s the work going? Are you getting used to it?” he asked me.

“I’m getting used to it. My body gets sore from time to time, but it’s not too bad.”

“Haha! Understandable. Farming’s quite hard work.”

Even though they were only a child, they had a job. They most likely didn’t have much time to play, and every day must have been difficult for them. Despite this, they didn’t show their hardships on the surface.

“It must have been tough always working,” I said.

“Huh? Nah, not really. This is normal, and I don’t hate working in the fields. Actually, I want to do everything on my own, but I’m not ready yet. I want to become a fully-fledged adult soon so I can make things easier for my family.”

“Um… Is life difficult for you?”

“No, no way. I’m living a normal life. But, I still want to be able to indulge in luxury. The lord is really kind to me, so I’ve no complaints. This isn’t meant to be flattery or anything “Red quickly made his point.

Despite his appearance, he seemed to be a caring guy. Actually, the popular person in class was just as nice as him. He was so bright and dazzling that it’s hard to approach him, though.

“Well, it’s not that I’m dissatisfied, I just want to do better. That’s all.”

“I see…”

I’d have had to manage the lives of people like them if I’d become a lord. It would be a big responsibility. Their lives would’ve been difficult if I’d made a mistake. Should I have thought about it while I had the chance? No, I didn’t think I was cut out for it.

“Well, I’m going over there. See you later.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

Rose showed up as if on cue after I said my goodbyes to Red. She puffed out her chest and put her hand on her hip. She, by the way, seemed to be the oldest of the three. Maron was seven years old, Red was six, the same as me, and Rose was eight, the same as Marie. She placed her hand on her cheek and began to speak elegantly.

“How are you doing, Theon?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m doing well.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh, did I ask something strange?”

“No, it’s  just that everyone cares about me, so I’m happy.”

“I’m not particularly concerned about you. It’s just that if everyone works hard together, things will go smoothly. So I have to reluctantly call out to you all.”

“I see, thanks.” I expressed my gratitude while staring at her intently.

“…I, it’s hard when you look at me like that.”

Was she unexpectedly shy? Rose was a child with a broad perspective who considerate but not straightforward. When I conveyed my gratitude, she seemed to be embarrassed and looked away. She brushed her long hair aside and tried to hide her expression.

“Anyway, we’re almost done with work for today. If you have any questions, I’m all ears.” She spoke.

“Questions… It doesn’t have to be work-related, right?”

“No, ask me anything anything.”

“Well, I was wondering if you were the one who saw the light orb at the lake near my house?”

“That’s the story. Yes, I saw it. However, Red and Maron didn’t seem to see it.”

Marie had already told me about it. It seemed to be referring to Rose and her group, who had seen the orbs at the lake.

“What did it look like?”

“It was faint. It was like looking at a distant bonfire.”

As expected, it seemed that the way I, Marie, and Rose saw it was different. I saw it clearly like a normal light. Marie said it flickered, meaning she saw it occasionally like a normal light. Rose saw a faint light, but she was sure she saw it.

As I pondered the matter, it occurred to me that the person who saw the light orbs more clearly may have had a better talent for sensing magic. In works of fiction, characters with a heightened level of visibility in such situations often possess great talent. However, I realized that it would be dangerous to make such an assumption without solid evidence since I had no concrete information about magic.

Nevertheless, I remained resolute in my determination to become the foremost authority on magic. No one else could possibly know more about it than I did. Once I made a decision, that’s final, and there would be no one to correct me if I happened to be wrong. Consequently, I understood that I had to exercise caution and gather evidence before making any definitive statements.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing,”

“Really? But that phenomenon was so strange that people who couldn’t see it would find it hard to believe. Even Maron and Red were skeptical and didn’t believe it.”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do if they can’t perceive it.”

“I understand that. I just think that there are mysterious things in the world that people believe in. Even if people don’t believe it, it’s okay. You and Marie can see it, which means we’re a bit special. It’s fun!”

Hm, I wondered if Rose had a strong ambition. Or was it simply that she thought she was different from others and wanted to feel superior? Well, everyone had these kinds of thoughts, but maybe it’s more pronounced in her. I wasn’t not looking down on her, so I didn’t think her thoughts themselves were a problem.

It’s not something for me to judge from a superior position. Despite being an adult on the inside, I was the youngest in age, so I needed to be careful not to hurt the pride of the oldest kid. Children were sensitive to that kind of thing. Marie was straightforward and had a clear personality, so she didn’t have those thoughts.

I don’t know why, but I felt like I was being a bit too cynical. I should stop thinking about it.

“Rose, do you also want to make a name for yourself in this village?”

“It seems like Red does. As for Maron, she doesn’t really talk about it. As for me… I’m not sure yet, but I do want to try various things.”

In terms of thinking, she might be similar to Marie. I didn’t dislike people like that.

“You seem to be quite mature.”

“If I were truly mature, I would have more well-formed thoughts. I still have a ways to go.”

“Really? I like that kind of thinking. Wanting to try various things means wanting to learn and experience many different things, right? I think that shows maturity.”

Rose stared at me blankly. Oops, I realized that I just spoke to her in a condescending manner. I broke out in a cold sweat, but Rose smiled happily.

“Oh, I see, there are also such thoughts… Hehe, thank you, Theon.”

Rose seemed very mature for an eight-year-old. She had a certain elegance to her, and I couldn’t help but stare at her in awe. Just then, she remembered something.

“Oh my, we’ve been talking for quite a while. It seems the others have finished cleaning up. Shall we go, Theon?”

“Y-Yeah.”

For some reason, she gently patted my head and smiled warmly before taking my hand. She’s like an older sister, which isn’t surprising considering she was older.

We headed towards where everyone else was when Marie suddenly rushed over and forcefully pulled me away.

“I forbid you to hold hands with Sion!”

“Oh my, Theon doesn’t belong to Marie. Holding hands isn’t a problem, is it?”

“I have a problem with it!”

Rose and Marie looked at me at the same time. One with a threatening gaze that seemed to say, “You know what to do, right?” and the other with a questioning look that said, “What do you think?”

Wait, how did this suddenly become the situation?

Red and Maron didn’t seem to understand what was going on. Hmm, I see what’s happening. This was one of those situations where the route was determined by the choice you make. I needed to choose carefully. It’s a branching point.

…or not. I mean, it’s okay to hold hands, right? We’re just kids.

Maybe Marie’s possessiveness was a bit too much. I loved my sister too, but she’s a little too obsessed with me. Maybe it would be good for her to experience letting go of her little brother a bit. So I made my decision.

“If Marie said so, maybe we should stop,” I said.

I came up with that answer. Well, I had to.

Marie was looking at me with a face that looked like she was about to cry. Even though she was glaring at me, she gradually looked sad, and there’s nothing I could do. 

When Marie heard my answer, she smiled brightly, but Rose pouted with dissatisfaction.

“That’s right, Theon!” Marie said. I didn’t know what’s going on, but since my she looked happy, I thought it was okay. However, Rose kept glaring at me, which made me feel uneasy.

“Okay then,” Rose finally said with a sigh as she started moving with her equipment.

“Let’s go!” Maron and Red followed Rose, feeling anxious. Even though they were just children, they seemed to sense something, and I felt sorry for them.

“Come on, Theon, let’s go home!” Marie held my hand. As we walked, I couldn’t help but smile wryly as I watched her happy expression.