Chapter 2
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Now, what I hold in my hand is a small compass that can fit in a 5-year-old’s hand… in other words, a directional magnet.
It’s a keychain type, with water inside, and a rotating disk with directions etched on it.
Why is this in my hand?
In a fantasy world where magic exists, I wonder if this is some kind of magical tool.
It might be a “Skill”… I get the feeling that “something” is being pulled out of my body, like when I use magic power.
But can magic really create something out of thin air?
As for magic… I only know about it from a few fairy tale books I read at home.
You know, like shooting fireballs.
In other stories from my past life, I’ve seen all sorts of magic, including creation magic… but…
This compass, is it something I can sell? And is there a possibility it’s a summoning magic tool?
If so, what about the price?
I thought I might have stolen it, but… no.
I have the feeling that I created it myself.
So… is this not magic, but a “fake” tool?
It’s related to the “Ceremony of Blessings” where I learned about my “title”, the reason I was exiled.
I heard that I have a high chance of getting some kind of “Skill” due to my talents and abilities… but is this it?
I look at the compass.
If it’s working normally… it looks like this carriage is heading west.
I try rotating the entire thing horizontally, but the floating disk inside keeps pointing in a fixed direction.
”Fake” was the title, and there was a possibility that it might not work at all or only partially, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case.
But if that’s so, what exactly makes this a “fake”?
It’s not a regularly produced item, so it’s definitely a counterfeit or imitation, but…oh well.
As long as it’s usable, I’ll use it.
I’d like to try making other things too, but…right now, it’s not good to let others see me.
If people find out I can make things, the rumors about me making counterfeit money will gain credibility, and I might get caught and punished on the spot.
No matter how much I deny any illegal counterfeiting, it’s hard to prove my innocence, and the suspicious people might think I’m guilty and punish me accordingly.
I’ve never been interrogated, so I don’t know, but in a country where one can get punished just for having the possibility of making counterfeit money, even if I were my past self, I wouldn’t be able to endure it.
In the end, even if my father finds out about my power, he’ll choose to eliminate me early on rather than keeping me alive and using me.
So, I can’t let my companions see this compass…but what can I do?
If I leave it out in the open, the only place to hide it is in my mouth, and if I put it there, I won’t be able to talk properly, and people will definitely get suspicious.
Even if I leave my clothes behind, it’s the same thing. They’ll check and find it right away.
So…I have no choice but to get rid of this compass when no one’s looking.
It’s a waste that I can only make ten compasses even if I use all my magic power, which is consumed by about 10%… but I have to make more.
Magic power seems to be recovering gradually, but if I don’t control my crafting pace, it’ll drain quickly.
If I create something with magic power, I should be able to turn it back into magic power.
Hum!
”W-what!?”
I suppressed my surprised voice once again.
The compass I had was gone, and I could feel the magic power I used to create it being restored.
I had thought about it, but… I never thought it would really turn back into magic power.
Now I can try creating all sorts of things.
Thinking that, I decided to secretly experiment with this power while moving and when my companions weren’t looking.
First, I’ll try making food.
I’m hungry, after all.
If I’m left behind, I’ll definitely need this.
But I need to be careful about the noise and smell, so… I imagine a certain object.
Oh, it’s done.
This time, I tried making… onigiri.
In my past life, my mother used to cut nori seaweed when making it as a night snack, and that’s where the idea came from.
I chose this because it wouldn’t make a noise like opening a package from a convenience store.
The nori seaweed won’t stick to my teeth, and it’s just right for my current goal.
Well, I might be able to get away with a little noise amidst the sound of horse carts, but it’s better to be careful.
Let’s take a bite… Oh, it’s delicious.
I was worried if it wouldn’t taste good in this body, but it’s really delicious, so I’m relieved.
Now I want to keep eating, but I’ll turn this onigiri back into magic power for now.
Hum!
Hmm, did the consumed magic power not fully recover?
When I try creating onigiri again… the same thing I made earlier, without taking a bite, is created.
The magic power only decreased by the amount I used for one bite.
Yeah, with this, even if the tools break, I can just use magic to restore them and make new ones, which would save me some magical energy.
I ate the recreated onigiri while being careful of the chewing sounds, and… I’m thirsty now.
But, if I try to open a pet bottle, it’ll make a loud sound, and besides, I’m not even sure if I can open it with my current strength and grip.
So, I decided to make a wooden cup and create water inside it.
This way, I can avoid wasting magical energy on creating something, which would be a pointless expenditure.
In that case, is the magical energy I’m using now considered the cost of materials?
”Gulp, gulp… Ah.”
The water is really cold.
I wonder if it’s because I imagined the contents of a refrigerated pet bottle.
If that’s the case… I might be able to create hot water freely too.
In this world, it’s normal to clean yourself with a wet cloth, so if I have the luxury, I’d like to soak in hot water or at least take a hot shower.
But, for now, surviving is my top priority.
Next, I need to think about how to protect myself.
I don’t have the physical ability to just run away, so I need a way to attack.
Even with a 5-year-old’s body, I need a weapon that’s easy to use, something that doesn’t require too much strength… and that would probably be a gun.
But, I’m not familiar with guns at all.
I might know a few famous ones, but… even with my current abilities, I can’t think of a gun that’s easy to handle and has minimal recoil.
There have been cases in my previous life where kids accidentally shot someone, but that doesn’t guarantee that I can handle a real gun.
I’ve heard that the handguns used by Japanese police have less power and recoil, but… ah.
I’ve seen a tiny gun that can only fire once in some work.
It’s probably not very powerful, but if I use it and restore my magic, I can create a new one, right?
I thought so and tried to create one, but… I couldn’t make a gun.
Is it because I don’t have enough magic, or is there some condition to create it?… It seems like I can only use things I’ve touched before, which really limits my options as a weapon.
And on top of that, something that doesn’t rely on physical strength…
I also thought of setting a trap, but I don’t know when I’ll be attacked, and I don’t think I have the physical ability to guide them to it.
What should I do?
* * *
Two days later…
”Well, um… how should I put it…”
I was brought to the forest, blindfolded and carried on someone’s back.
There were 3 people with me, and they seemed to have something to say, but they didn’t want to say it out loud.
One of the villagers, dressed as a guard, stayed behind to watch the horse carriage.
I pretended to be weak and starving in front of them, saying goodbye.
”It’s because of certain circumstances”… and it was true that I was starving, but I wasn’t on the brink of death, so I needed to act.
”Okay… thanks for your hardwork…”
”Hmm, well then…”
They gave me vague responses and quickly left.
As a 5-year-old, I couldn’t keep up with them, and since I was blindfolded and brought here, I didn’t know the way back, so it was tough to escape the forest on my own.
And… I was left alone. After a few moments…
”Seriously, they abandoned me, those guys. I can understand the circumstances, but… it’s complicated as the one being abandoned.”
Well, I can understand that they had no choice but to do this, and at least they didn’t take my clothes, so I guess it’s okay.
They’ll report that they’ve made it back safely and that I’ve been abandoned.
It’s a negative way of doing things, but I’ve been executed and there’s no going back, so just consider me dead.
But since I have memories up until I was 5 years old, it’s a bit lonely…
”Haah, there’s no use getting worked up about it. For now, let’s find a place to stay for a bit…!”
I was trying to find a place to live when I sensed something approaching me.
It seems to be coming from this direction, but what is it?
The visibility in the forest is poor, and I can’t see what’s approaching.
But…this is definitely heading straight for me.
I judged that it was probably coming to attack me, so I decided to set up a trap that I could prepare quickly.
Before long, “it” appeared.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
”Gii!”
”Huh?!”
The thing that emerged from the grass about 20 meters (� 66 feet) away was humanoid, but had green skin, and was about 10 years old in human terms…a goblin.
I remembered that they occasionally targeted crops or humans, and despite their small stature, they had physical abilities on par with an adult.
On top of that, only one appeared, but it was carrying a thick branch, making it extremely difficult for me, a 5-year-old, to win.
But…I had a chance of winning.
Rustle, rustle, rustle…
”Gagagaga!”
I’m not familiar with goblin expressions, but the one approaching me was probably smiling.
”Haah, haah…can I do this?”
As I muttered to myself, trying to overcome my anxiety and tension from the first battle, the goblin arrived in front of me and…fell flat on its face.
Thud, thud!
”Gyaah!?”
”Yes!.”
”Gya, gya ga…?.”
Whoosh, thud!
The goblin still trying to get up, but it is falling again.
It’s because of the trap I set, which involves a camouflage-patterned leisure sheet with lotion on it.
I don’t remember touching the camouflage-patterned leisure sheet, but maybe I accidentally touched it somewhere… maybe the creation conditions don’t include the experience of touching it.
So, what’s the difference between things that can be created and things that can’t?
I still don’t know, so I need to verify it.
Anyway, I can’t just keep watching the goblin.
If I leave it alone, it’ll come after me again, and it’ll escape from the trap and chase after me.
So, I need to take it down here and now… but I’m struggling to come up with a method.
I’ve tried various things, but I couldn’t think of a weapon that I can handle properly with my current body abilities.
I did try using gasoline, and I was able to confirm that it works, but it consumed about 1/10 of my magic power.
I knew it was volatile, so I quickly recovered my magic power, thinking that I might not be able to recover it.
From this, I’m unsure if I can prepare enough to burn the enemy to death, and if I do, the smoke might rise and the villagers who are trying to back might notice and come back.
Of course, I need to make sure to dispose of it properly.
That’s when I was thinking of another method, and the goblin escaped from the trap and attacked me.
It raised the branch it was holding.
”Gigya!”
Thud!
”Ugh!”
Bang!
”…?”
The goblin looks at me with a puzzled expression, wondering why I didn’t fall.
The branch that it swung down was heading straight for my right arm, which I had raised to defend myself.
However, I was able to avoid falling thanks to the black armor covering my right arm.
”I wanted to avoid it since it consumes a lot of magical power, but I guess I had no choice. This armor I made with magic… isn’t it just a ‘fake’ or an ‘imitation’? Shouldn’t it be written as ‘Magic Armor (fake)’ or something?”
There was no one to answer my question.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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