Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Time-Space Vortexes Are Amazing!
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While I was looking surprised, Brigitte said.
"You can't seriously be thinking that I'm this child's mother just because we have the same taste in eggs, right?"
"No, that is exactly what I was thinking. Did you manage to create mindreading magic or something?"
"Don't be stupid, sunny-side-up is the most common way to eat eggs, so don't go around jumping to absurd conclusions."
Indeed.As expected of Brigitte, she was right.
Sizzle—Anyway, I made a lot of fried eggs.
As I was cracking the eggs onto the frying pan, I could see Naru and Brigitte sitting across from each other on the couch, studying.
"When memorizing the multiplication tables, it's better to sing them like a song. Huh, speaking of which, when I was eight I also had trouble with math. So here let's try this, eight times one is eight, eight times two is sixteen."
"Wooow, it's sooo easy to remember if you remember them like that...!"
Still, despite acting like a strict teacher.Brigitte was nothing close to being a bad person.After all, not anyone would join the Hero's party.
Romimimi—In the evening.Naru slept on the couch, already tired of studying.
"Mnn Nine times…...Nine…...grilled chicken legs….Mnn."
She was even mumbling in her sleep.Brigitte, who pulled the blanket up to Naru's neck, came out onto the terrace.As she stood next to me, she said.
"Hey Judas, you're looking good now, you know?"
"Really? Is it because I have a kid now?"
"No, you look more relaxed now. You're laughing more often too, and to be honest, you used to be a little edgy back then, right?"
"Well, that's because back then I was mostly focused on surviving. You look good, too. I, hmm...Don't know exactly why, but you're just looking good."
"And what was that supposed to mean? You're still horrible at expressing yourself huh."
Brigitte chuckled softly.Afterward, there was a brief silence between us.
I don't know how many seconds we stayed like that.But I finally asked something that was bugging my mind.
"What's going on with this city?"
"What do you mean?"
"Brigitte, I know better than anyone that you're not the type to settle down and teach kids. There must be something dangerous going on here in Freesia for you to be here."
"..."
Brigitte was speechless.She was always like that when someone saw through her.
Soon enough, she took out a cigarette from near her chest.She then snapped her fingers and with a little magic, lit the cigarette.
The cigarette had a flowery scent.It must be made from some magical herb.
"Ugh."
Brigitte frowned as she smoked.She looked like someone suffering from a headache.
So, I asked her.
"Does the wound you got from that Immortal Lich in the Demon King's castle still hurt?"
The Immortal Lich was said to have power that rivaled the might of a dragon.And Brigitte had been wounded fighting that thing.
That's why she started smoking these special cigarettes to help her deal with her injuries.Because the cigarettes had painkilling properties.
Brigitte massaged her forehead with her thumb.
"Well, it's not a big deal. We're having a little problem here at the Academy, but it's nothing I can't handle, and I definitively don't want you butting your nose around breaking everything, so just forget about it."
How rude.Well, at least I know that something is indeed going on with this city and the Academy.And that Brigitte does not want me involved.
Brigitte smirked.
"Judas, you're also someone full of secrets, aren't you? After all, we don't even know your real name. We also don't know if you truly are a Barbaroi. So let me keep some secrets of my own."
"Well, whatever."
I decided to not pressure her further.As I had other matters to attend to.Besides, Brigitte is built differently from the average person.
Whatever is going on, she will pull through it alone.That's why I wasn't worried.
The problem here is Naru.Would she be able to do well in the entrance exams?
* * * * * * * * * *
Romimimi— Romimimi—The snoring was loud.
One of the sources of the loud noise was undoubtedly Judas, the Barbaroi thief.
Brigitte thought she had gotten used to it during their adventures, but, hearing the thunderous noise again after such a long time still irritated her.
"He's still snoring."
Romimimi— Romimimi—Then there was the other snore, a softer one, like a little animal sleeping.It was the snoring of the child deep asleep on the bed.
"Naru...was that her name?"
The child was only five or six years old.She had the same jet-black hair and eyes as her former comrade Judas.
"Is she really Judas' daughter...?"
Brigitte considered the possibility that Judas might have hidden his wife and daughter in the hometown of the Barbaroi. However, she shook her head shortly afterward.
"No. This can't be true. There is no way Judas would find a woman who would agree to marry him and even bear his child."
Judas was one of the Heroes who joined the Demon King subjugation party.But at the same time, he was also a notorious villain with a dark reputation.
In the first place, the reason he joined the party was because he wanted the "Immunity" from his deeds that would come to light after the slaying of the Demon King.
People feared the Barbaroi.And of course, no woman would like those who worked as mercenaries, bandits, or thieves like the Barbaroi.
There would undoubtedly be many people who would be frightened just by Judas approaching them.
And frightened they became.Brigitte, who had traveled with him on their many adventures, knew this very well.
To be honest, he himself didn't give off a friendly vibe.
"Of course, it might be different for a barbarian woman… His brutish looks might even be considered handsome among savages."
At that moment, Brigitte recalled a written study stating that among the barbarian women, strength and stamina were considered a man's greatest virtues, instead of his face or character.
Step—Approaching Naru's sleeping form, Brigitte ignited a small flame with her fingers.
Burst—The flame burned like a candle, illuminating the child's face.
"Ngh….Too bright…..."
Naru whined.But Brigitte continued to examine the child's features.
"Her long eyelashes are a bit like mine...The forehead is also the same. And her ears..."
Brigitte struggled to find anything on the child's face that didn't resemble her own.And when she thought about such a resemblance.
"And... He said that she traveled back in time, so if that's true, then she..."
Space-time magic.As far as Brigitte, who was now an Archmage, knew, such magic was in the realm of the impossible.
It went beyond the realm of magic and could be better classified as a 'miracle'. But miracles were the realm of the Gods.And if there were individuals capable of using such divine magic in this world...
They could only be the five Grand Mages, each one bestowed with a 'color'.
"If I trained continuously for the next five years… Would I be able to reach that rank?"
Brigitte realistically assessed her talent.Five years.Would she be able to use the space-time magic by then?
"...No."
Five Years.No matter how diligently she accumulated her magic power, it would still be impossible to cast such magic within this timeframe.
However, Brigitte knew of only one person who had a chance of succeeding in this.
"Elle Cladeco, the Mage of The Morning Star."
The greatest mage of their time, having perfected the magical hierarchy of circles.A prodigy who advanced the concepts of Magic and magic engineering forward by two centuries.
And if she…
"Was it a coincidence or simply fate?"
Brigitte felt the strange hand of fate behind their visit.Like all the pieces of a puzzle were falling into place.
So Brigitte stared at the child's face through the night.Right until the first light of the new dawn shone on her, illuminating her features.
* * * * * * * * * *
"I guess I'm in favor of her enrollment."
It was morning.Brigitte said as she cooked the sausages, eggs, and bacon and put them on a plate.Rubbing my sleepy eyes I replied.
"Really?"
"A graduate from the Graham Academy won't be ignored wherever they go. It's like proof of their talent and abilities. This will be good during Naru's life."
Brigitte was considering enrolling Naru in the Academy where she worked.
I remember that in the past, one of my uncles was a professor, and he kept calling me and other relatives to enroll in his course because the department needed to fulfill a student quota.
So, is it something like that?No, I think it's a bit different.
So, I asked.
"Naru, what do you think? Do you want to go to school?"
"Woow! Bacon! Sausage! Heart-shaped Ketchup!"
Naru was really excited about her fancy breakfast.This child has already forgotten about the eggs I made for her yesterday.
Swipe—Brigitte scooped a portion of her sausages onto Naru's plate.
"It would be good for you to attend the Academy and take your time regaining your memories. This place is the most advanced in magic and magic engineering in the world, so we will surely figure something about space-time magic."
"I will also be able to find out who my wife is."
It was a good plan.
Moreover, wouldn't it be less likely for the still-young Naru to be discriminated against for being a barbarian if she was a graduate of the Graham Academy?
But something was bothering me.This situation felt all too familiar to me.Brigitte was likely hiding something.
Whatever was going on at Graham.And Naru's enrollment.
Was there a connection between these?
I should think about that.At the same time, Brigitte said.
"Speaking of which, I'd like to check Naru's abilities. We roughly assessed her knowledge yesterday, but we haven't seen her abilities yet."
Abilities?What abilities?
Seeing my confused expression, Brigitte shook her head in disbelief.
"You really have no idea, do you? Didn't you know that in the Graham Academy, things like magic, swordsmanship, martial arts, and horsemanship are core subjects?"
I already knew that the Academy taught combat lessons.But I didn't expect this.
"Wait, do they teach that to six-year-olds? At six, they are just kids, aren't they?"
"Isn't that common knowledge? Weren't you hunting wolves and playing in the forests of Barbaria since you were five? Catching slimes and collecting lots of mushrooms?"
"Ugh..."
The memories of the lies I had told them in the past weighed heavily on my chest.During the period when I embraced the concept of being a 'Barbarian from Barbaria' I told them many lies.
I told them that when I was six, the only thing I'd do was hunt mushrooms in Henesys Village during autumn. 1I even told them I used to throw spears to hunt.
Of course, it was my in-game character who did all those things, not me!
The six-year-old me was being pampered by my parents, whining about new toys, and getting smacked by my mom.
But the six-year-olds of this world were different.
"You were born this way. But many become elites through rigorous discipline and training from a very young age. Just like me."
Brigitte puffed out her chest proudly.Then she grabbed her cloak and headed outside.
"Let's go then."
A test of my daughter's skills.To be honest, I was looking forward to it.
To seeing if she really takes after me...
To read about 200 fully translated episodes, patreon.com/Nora02