Volume 1 Chapter 12 Signs of Winter
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I apologized to my sister-in-law this morning for shattering that precious Amber¹. It’s a versatile tool for powering magic lamps, but it has one major drawback: if you overcharge it with Mana, it snaps. I’d carelessly done exactly that last night.
”It was old anyway, so don’t worry about it,” she said, offering a gentle, goddess-like smile. “Just refill the others when you have a moment.”
Nico, our maid, had warned me they were expensive. I’d spent the morning bracing for a look of disappointment, but my sister-in-law’s kindness saved me. (Alright, today is going to be a good day.) Or at least, that was the plan.
”Listen up! Today, you’re donning leather armor and spears for a double-time run to the checkpoint and back,” Instructor Bours barked at the start of training.
(Double-time? With spears and armor?)
The leather gear we’d received after our sandal-making stint wasn’t as heavy as I’d feared, and the waist-mounted dagger didn’t bother me much. The spear, however, was a different story. It felt like a lead weight in my hands. Yesterday, Getz and Roberto were lucky enough to hold point without pulling the leaf-scatterer sleds. I’d envied them then, but now I realized that carrying a spear was its own kind of hell.
There’s a specific science to carrying one. You have to angle the butt-end so you don’t trip yourself, while keeping it low enough to avoid skewering the man next to you. And you can never, ever use it as a walking stick. The moment my focus wavered, the tip would sag toward the dirt.
”Are you trying to kill your own men?” Bours’s roar echoed across the field.
He moved us straight into the spear-wall drills. Four men in the front rank knelt, while three in the rear dropped into a low crouch, spears leveled. It sounded simple until the command “Position, Front!” rang out. We scrambled into a double-line formation, wood clashing against wood and shoulders bumping in the cramped space. It was a miracle no one lost an eye to a stray metal tip.
”If a Red-eyed Wolf shows up, this wall is your only prayer,” Bours explained. “You keep them at bay, and I’ll pick them off with arrows.”
”Is a wooden wall really going to stop those things?” Getz scoffed.
”Would you rather show them your back and see how fast they catch you?” Bours countered. Getz went silent. Even though I’d never seen a Red-eyed Wolf, I knew the stories. They were two-meter-long nightmares with gray fur and a vertical slit in their foreheads that revealed a third, crimson eye. They usually ignored humans, but once a year, a story would surface about a traveler being dragged off the road.
By the time we finished the drills, my hand was numb and my leather armor felt like a portable sauna. Every time Bours called for a “Position, Left,” the brief pause felt like a godsend. Edmond and Martin struggled the most, their lack of stamina and poorly made sandals leaving them trailing behind. We couldn’t leave them, though. In these woods, a smaller group just meant an easier meal for the wolves. By the time we limped back to the village, those two were barefoot and bleeding.
The sun was still high when we finished. Instructor Bours announced a camp-out for tomorrow, telling us to pack our own water and ale. As the group scrambled to get in line for Granny’s Heals, I hung back. I wanted to talk to her.
When it was finally my turn, Jutte—a stout, longtime slave of the household—washed my feet. She’d filled out significantly over the years, her tunic lacing digging into her sides like twine on a ham. Roberto passed on his session when he realized Emma-chan wasn’t the one doing the washing today. Finally, I sat before Granny. She pulled my right foot onto her lap as she sat cross-legged.
(It’s not the visitor from the other world today, is it?)
A voice echoed in my head.
(Larry, this is Telepathy. No one else can hear us,) she continued. She didn’t move her lips, maintaining a stony, neutral expression. (So, you really don’t remember what happened the day before yesterday?)
(Can she see my thoughts?) I wondered, staring at her in shock.
(Go on, try responding in your mind,) she urged.
(Granny, did you actually speak with the… old man living inside me?)
(I did. But first, do me a favor. Your Mana is obstructing mine. Try to channel the flow from your leg into me.)
I focused, carefully pushing my energy toward her.
(Not too much! Your little squatter nearly gave me a heart attack by flooding the connection last time,) she warned. (He was a quick study, though. I’ll give him that.)
As I regulated the flow, the square around us grew quiet. The village brats had been pulled away to help with the early wheat planting.
(Larry, have you heard the legends of the Sages?)
(I know they built this country,) I replied.
(I knew the second one. Karl. In fact, he was my man for a time.) I gasped, my Mana spiking and sending a jolt of pain through my leg.
(Don’t be so dramatic. He was a good man; we shared a bed for a few days,) she said dismissively.
(But he’s a legend! He’s the current Viscount’s grandfather—the man who led the Religious Reformation³!)
(Exactly. And he was a Reincarnated Person⁴—someone born into this world with memories of a life in another one. That’s why those strange words like ‘DT’ and ‘Idol’ are rattling around in your head. People from his world brought technology and economics we couldn’t dream of. But knowledge doesn’t make you a Sage, Larry. Character does.)
She looked me dead in the eye.
(If this parasite becomes a Sage, what happens to me?) I asked, the fear finally surfacing.
(Who knows? Karl told me he had his memories from the moment he was born. He even joked about how guilty he felt nursing from his mother because he had the mind of a grown man. I’ve heard of others being burned at the stake by the Universal Church as demons. But I’ve never seen a case like yours—where the memories show up late and move in like a tenant.)
She swapped to my other leg, her gaze softening slightly. (Do you want to cure Yutia?)
(Uh… sounds like even that parasite guy wanted to cure her too. If I can get into a magic academy and learn healing, I’d like to give it a shot.)
(That one seems to have picked up some clues from memories of a past life.)
That… may be true.
But still—
(Don’t like the idea of being parasitized?)
Of course not.
(It’s possible the host is the one being controlled, you know.)
She said it so bluntly, like it was nothing—exactly the kind of thing I didn’t want to consider.
Maybe she’s right. If he’s the kind of prodigy destined to become a sage, then maybe I’m the one who’d end up as the subordinate.
My older brother Iffens—sharp-minded and upright.
Hans, the complete opposite, yet somehow admired by everyone.
And then there’s me, barely noticeable in their shadow… maybe it’s the same kind of situation.
(Didn’t expect you to be so modest.)
(Call it whatever you want—that’s just reality.)
(Don’t sulk. Growing up among brothers has made you a solid man. But that one… he’s got no drive. At that age, no convictions. Not someone you can rely on.)
Wow, she really went in on him. If I were his fan, that would sting.
(But here’s the thing—while I can’t quite put it into words, there’s something about Larry and that parasite… they’re very similar in some ways.)
Was she implying they might be the same person?
(That’s something you’ll have to figure out yourselves.)
In other words, deal with it on your own.
With that, the conversation ended—and so did the healing.
Even though the sun was still high, the square was quiet.
The Village Head’s Tower had its doors open, but there was no sign of visitors.
Even the noisy kids were nowhere to be seen.
Granny told me winter might come early this year, so wheat planting had already begun.
Seems like it’s the busy farming season—busy enough that they even need help from the kids.
—
Summary:
Larry undergoes grueling spear drills under Instructor Bours, learning defensive formations against Red-eyed Wolves. During a healing session with Granny, she reveals through telepathy that the Second Sage, Karl, was a reincarnated person and a former lover of hers. She suggests that Larry and his ‘parasite’ are more alike than he admits and warns that Larry might actually be the subordinate entity in their relationship.
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Trivia:
- Amber is an expensive mana-storage item that breaks if overfilled.
- Red-eyed Wolves are 2m long and have a literal third eye in a split forehead.
- The Second Sage Karl was the biological grandfather of the current Viscount.
- The Universal Church burns reincarnated people as demons.
- Larry’s parasite seems to have medical knowledge from its previous world to cure Yutia’s legs
—
Character Insight:
Larry’s sense of self is being eroded by Granny’s blunt assessment that he might be the ‘vessel’ rather than the primary soul. Granny herself shows a surprising history, having been involved with one of the most famous figures in history.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The transition from physical training to existential lore drop highlights the ‘Seinen’ themes of identity and the harsh reality of living in a world where legends are humanized (and often flawed).
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Nico – An elderly manservant with silver hair and faded livery, dignified and trusted by the headman, revered by staff; a stern young maid from the Village Head’s house, outspoken and protective of Teressa and Yutia, wielding authority over children; also Teressa’s lady’s maid who scolds Larry and keeps order, blunt and rule‑bound; a younger sister‑in‑law‑type figure cold toward Larry yet diligent, formerly head servant now helping neighbors.
• Bours – Tall, scarred, in a faded uniform, he is a former Royal Army captain now village defense instructor. Stern, he trains youth with veteran archer precision, blending tactical Heal magic, orc‑hunting skill, and wilderness survival to forge disciplined defenders.
• Roberto – A weary recruit, his face still echoing last night’s turmoil, sits beside Larry as a fellow trainee and spearman. He is a nervous villager, anxious about the looming war, his posture and trembling hands betraying his dread.
• Getz – Rugged Mauer Village recruit with short, unkempt hair, a scar across his left cheek, and a worn leather jacket over a faded uniform. He keeps distance from peers, respects Bours’ authority, and bears a complex mix of defiance and reluctant loyalty. A frustrated spearman who finds politics and religion tangled, he scouts and spreads village gossip.
• Edmond – Late‑arriving recruit from the Eisner farm, he lacks discipline and receives a brutal lesson from Bours on punctuality. He is a militiaman, Mary’s brother, known for teasing Martin, and complains about manual labor during training.
• Martin – Mar, a young recruit from a neighboring village, wears Shinto‑inspired armor and practices a Shinto‑linked combat style. He proposes to Felice, flirts with Ferris‑san, is a Mauer villager intrigued by battlefield sexuality, proposed to the elf Granny Ferris, and is Larry’s training acquaintance.
• Ed – A local village youth and acquaintance of Larry’s.
• Emma – Beautiful slave girl with large black eyes, cold sorrowful expression, black hair in a bun, and a three‑colored crest on her forehead. She serves Ferris‑san, stays with her, and was present during a healing session, making her a potential candidate for Larry’s rite of passage.
• Larry – Thirteen-year-old third son of the Strock headman, with reddish-white skin, bronze eyes, and curly bronze hair, he harbors a parasitic 40-year-old salaryman consciousness—his internal “Obsessive Fan”—that grants faint Showa memories and minor fire magic. A pragmatic, protective backup heir, he grapples with existential dread, conscription, and unspoken crushes on his sister-in-law, all while performing menial chores despite his noble status. Having just discovered his significant magical potential, he navigates family duty, technological analysis, and the unsettling coexistence of two souls within one body.
• Yutia – A hunched, muscularly abnormal servant girl with a severe speech impediment and lingering tension from a near‑fatal fever lives with Larry’s family. Though disabled, she is exceptionally dexterous and once served as lady’s maid to Teressa.
• Iffens – Larry’s older brother, the eldest son of the Fee family, fell in battle; his death leaves a heavy emotional shadow over the household and fuels Yutia’s fear. He is remembered as a solemn, battle‑scarred figure.
• Hans – Rugged, wild‑eyed delinquent known as the ‘Mad Dog’ of Strock Village, he is the second son of the Fee family, a chronic alcoholic with a record of assault and extortion. Larry’s older brother and primary heir to the Kessler estate, he now shirks his duties.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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