After that, we washed the dishes together. Once we finished, we sat back down on the chairs to rest — my stomach was still feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Karen, what are we going to do from now on?" Lina asked, her voice carrying a hint of worry about our future.
Actually, ever since I confirmed that Lina could read, I had already made my decision.
"I've decided that on January 2nd, 2014, when we turn twelve, we'll leave the village and become adventurer to earn money."
We hadn't learned any specialized skills, so the only work available to us would be the kind that people at the bottom did. That's exactly what adventurers were for — people like us. Many young men and women from the village had chosen that path. It was dangerous, but the rewards were great.
"Can't we just stay here in the village?"
Lina didn't want to leave, but this place could hardly be called a village anymore. Only two children remained. And when merchants saw how desolate the place had become, they stopped passing through altogether.
After all, the village had always relied on selling cooking oil to earn enough money to buy all kinds of ironware.
"Because I can't guarantee we'll be able to live here forever, the only way to secure our future is to go to the city and make money. But since we haven't studied any special skills, becoming adventurers is our only choice."
"But we've only learned basic magic," Lina said. "Can we really become adventurers?"
We always use the most basic magic. As long as someone possesses the corresponding attribute, anyone can learn it. Although it activates quickly, its power is very weak.
"There might be books about magic in the study. If we can master all the magic in those books, we'll definitely grow stronger."
There were so many books in that study—it couldn't possibly be filled with just the stories of Braves. Surely some of them were about magic.
"And besides," I smiled at Lina, "you learn things so fast. I'm sure you'll be able to master a ton of powerful magic in no time."
"But we'll have to fight monsters, right? Can I really do that?"
"Of course you can. Besides, I'll protect you — I won't let a single monster touch you."
My plan was for me to act as the vanguard, blocking enemies from reaching Lina and taking them down, while Lina would serve as the mage, dealing damage from behind.
Lina fell silent, deep in thought. While she was thinking, I took the chance to study more of the Melbusoda words. Halfway through, Lina finally spoke.
"...Alright. But I'm still scared."
"That's fine. Thank you..."
Lina agreed, and I looked up at her happily.
But her expression was still uncertain — she seemed to be questioning whether this was the right decision. A small pang of guilt hit me.
After all, ever since my previous life, I had always longed for a world of swords and magic.
And now, having been reborn here… who wouldn't dream of casting cool magic, defeating enemies, and saving people in need?
I came into this world carrying the common sense of my past life — it was impossible not to feel a thrill of excitement.
I quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, let's divide up our work for the next six years."
"I'll cook," Lina said immediately.
"Okay, we'll cook together. But first, let's check how much food we have left."
We began checking the ingredients in the house.
There were six potatoes, nine carrots, ten onions, and one head of cabbage.
"The rice is running out."
Lina went to check the jar and sighed softly. Judging by the amount left, it probably wasn't enough for even two servings.
"Let's check what we still have in the storage room," I said.
The storage room was on the northeast side of the house. We stepped outside and walked the short distance—barely ten meters or so—before stopping in front of a few small houses. The one in the middle, slightly smaller than the rest, was our storage room.
When we buried the villagers, I remembered seeing this place still intact.
Honestly… I was relieved it hadn't burned down.
I opened the door and stepped inside. The air immediately turned cold against my skin, a sharp contrast to the warmth outside.
To keep the food fresh, someone had filled the place with huge chunks of ice. They were half-melted now, but still doing their job.
We saw many baskets placed on a low wooden platform, just a few centimeters above the ground. It was built that way to prevent the melting ice water from seeping into the baskets.
Before, there had always been villagers who made ice at regular intervals, but now no one was around to take care of it. In this hot weather, the food would spoil much faster.
"Lina, how big of an ice block can you make?"
"About thaaaaat big," she said, stretching her arms to form a huge circle.
Water-type magic allowed her to lower the temperature of water until it froze solid.
"From now on, whenever we come to get food, can you make one thaaaaat big? That way, the food can last longer."
"Mm."
I peered into the baskets and saw all kinds of vegetables—and most importantly, the sources of protein: meat and eggs.
"Karen, let me cook the meat for lunch," Lina said eagerly.
Oh no! If I let her cook, that meat would lose all its flavor… or worse, gain a new one. This was precious meat—we couldn't afford to waste it! I hurried to stop her.
"No way. I'll do the cooking."
"No! Let me! I'll make it taste really good this time, I promise!"
She was actually bargaining with me. I sighed, rubbing my stomach, and made a heavy decision.
"Fine. You can cook lunch by yourself—but don't touch the meat, okay?"
"Really!? Then we'll eat meat tonight!"
It seemed Lina really loved cooking.
Well… at least the precious meat was safe for now.
We went back home to grab a basket and a pot. I filled the basket with a few slices of meat and some eggs, while the pot was packed full of white rice. As we stepped out of the storage shed, Lina didn't forget to conjure up a huge block of ice to keep the rest of the food fresh.
Back home, we poured the rice into the rice bin and set the basket with the meat and eggs temporarily on the table.
"Next, let's check the fields and the livestock," I said.
The food in the warehouse would eventually run out. We had to make sure our food supply could continue. That meant learning how to farm and how to raise animals.