Chapter 1-4

A week after starting to exercise, it began to show on my face that I was slimming up and I gained enough stamina to start running.
I also made good progress in magic by succeeding in changing the property of mana to fire and water. My total mana is also increasing at a good rate. It seems that unlike his parents, Kururi had talent in magic.

I wake up early and then run around the territory. I felt admiration towards the population, seeing them working from the morning.
I managed to get the them to remember my face within this one week period. After all, I had spent all my time at home up until now.

Even if I break out into a run now, it’s not painful. Rather, my tension raises and I end up wanting to run more and more.
As I thought, Kururi’s bodily potential is high. The efforts I put in give equivalent results. The more I move, the lighter my body seems to become.

Although I don’t want to overdo it. Overexertion should be avoided in the growth period.
I finish up at a decent spot and head to the usual library.

By the way, in the changing of the property of mana, I got stuck on lightning. Water and fire were simple, but I had quite a bit of trouble invoking lightning.

“Moran-jii, It just won’t go well.”
“Hohoho, Repet.i.tion is important in everything. If you continue, you’ll become able to do it.”
As expected, that old man’s words have a different weight.
Well, in in the end, I wasn’t able to invoke it today.

After supper, I gave my body a look-over in the mirror.
Uun, It’s not just the face, but the body is also showing a positive change. This is a good trend.

After continuing the practice of magic and exercise for around a month, my body was beyond recognition.
My body is slim and taught, and the face is of an attractive young boy.
I also mastered the basics of property change in magic and my total mana is getting to be a bit of a crazy level.

My body is light. It feels like I’d go flying if I were to jump. I can perform headstands and somersaults as I please. n.o.body could call me the plump and calming Kururi anymore.

Let’s head to that old man Donga at once.
I led out a horse and mounted it.
Lets go!
At the same time the horse began to run, I fell through the air.
I thought too well of my abilities. For horse riding to be this hard. I fell into a misapprehension that I would be able to do anything just because I lost some weight.

“Kururi-sama! Are you alright!?” The attendant in charge of the horses came running.
“I want you to teach me horse riding”
“U, Understood.”
The attendant helped me up, though I was covered in dirt.

The most essential thing in horse riding is leg strength. If you don’t hold your thighs tightly against the horse’s stomach you will fall.
On the first day, I fell down when dismounting the horse. My legs were so fatigued to the point that I couldn’t manage to stand up by myself.
“Everyone’s like that at first,” the attendant kindly comforted me. He’s a nice guy.

However, a mere horse was nothing in front of the potential of Kururi.
In no matter of time, a week pa.s.sed, and I became able to ride a horse.

It was at a level that I would say,“I’ll go take a quick run,” with a triumphant air.

Now I can finally go to that old man Donga’s place.

“Excuse me.” I stood at the entrance to Donga’s Weapon Shop and raised my voice.
As expected, he didn’t come out, so I entered on my own.
“Donga-san!!”
“What!? How noisy!
N? The feudal lord’s idiot son?”
“Y-yes, I am the Kururi that came three months before.”
“Hoo, You’ve lost weight. I didn’t recognize you.”
“I have come to learn blacksmithing.”
“Ah, there was something like that. Well, Come in. If I can’t use you, I’ll kick you out.”
“I’ll be in your care.”

In contrast to old man Donga’s appearance and choice of words, he taught me with care.
Since Donga knew I could use magic, he left the tending of fire to me.
After entering the smithy and continuing odd-jobs for a months time, I finally got to learn about smithing.

“It’s been one month since you got here. You’ve gotten used to the environment, try striking some iron.”
“Understood,” I answered while wiping the soot of my face with a towel.

“Striking iron is for removing the impurities from that iron and raise the purity.
In addition, you strike iron to creating balance and to mix different types of metal.
Well, anyway, there’s a lot to striking iron. There’s nothing better for improvement that to just keep striking iron.”
“Understood.”
As old man Donga said to, I struck iron every day.

From odd-jobs, to when I realized it, serving customers, stocking became my job, so I ended up to be almost living in the smithy.
I properly informed my parents, but, “I’m always worried about what the kid is doing every day.”

That lifestyle continued for one year and, “You’ve got the feeling of completely becoming a man of the smithy.” I received such an expression of approval from my master, Donga.
In contrast to my thin body, my hands became very rough.
I took on countless burn scars, blisters, and other such wounds.
Ah, A year is quite something.

On a certain day, I was called out by master.
“Did you make this sword?”
What master was holding was a sword I had made last night.
“Yeah, I did though?”
Master was lost for words.
“The purity is high, the balance is almost perfectly equal. When I reached this level I was in my late thirties.”
Master continued to mumble.
While it was certainly quite a good work, recently I’ve been able to consistently reach that level. Master had just not realized that.

“This is great. Kururi, I have nothing left I can teach you. From here on is a battle against yourself. The world will belong to the one who seeks to improve theirself.”
“Huh-!?”
“Your skills have already reached near to the level of a master. You won’t be able to improve from the teachings of others. From here on is a level where you have to face against yourself.”
“Haa-, Um- It’s fine to say that I would be able to support myself at this level, right?”
“Aa, For a test, let’s put this sword out in the store. I’m sure it’ll immediately sell.”
Oo!!
I did it. I’ve gotten myself a profession, haven’t I?!

“There’s nothing else I can teach you, but continue to strike metal every day. If you rest, your skill will drop.”
“Understood. Thank you very much, master!”
“What a frightful talent. What a waste for you to be born as the feudal lord’s son.”
No, that’s something to be taken as lucky normally.

For the first time in awhile, I returned home, and had a personal smithy built.
“Kururi-chan has come back home,” the whole house filled with a clamor. My parents were particularly happy and had the smithy built more magnificent that needed.

After that, my lifestyle will become that of making laps between the smithy and the library, I guess.
If I’m making swords, I might as well try my hand at learning to use one. Yeah, let’s ask my parents later. They’ll surely be opposed, though.