Juro glanced over at Bell and saw his head leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.
Juro smiled quietly, then turned off the lights and stepped outside, gently closing the door behind him.
The room fell silent.
A few seconds later, Bell slowly opened his eyes.
-----------------
He looked around for a moment before calling out to the system in his mind.
A virtual, holographic screen appeared in front of his eyes, displaying his stats.
"Knowing how powerful Juro is, he could probably detect even the slightest bit of mana if I used magic… " Bell thought.
"But fortunately for me… the status window isn't magic. It isn't even from the Demanas Continent. It's an entirely different source of power I learned back in my original body. This doesn't require any mana at all."
==
Name: Bell
Age: 9
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Attribute: None
Old Title: The Greatest Mage
Speed: 59+
Vigor: 210+
Knowledge: 360+
==
As Bell examined his stats, he blinked a few times.
"So intelligence turned into Knowledge… and both vitality and strength were combined into Vigor…"
He paused.
"My speed hasn't increased much…"
A faint smirk formed on his lips.
"These are decent improvements, I guess… although…"
His expression shifted slightly.
"It's lackluster compared to the stats I had in my original body."
Bell closed the status window and stretched his arms and legs. He then leaned against the wall, deep in thought.
"Will I ever get used to this…?"
He let out a quiet breath.
"This feeling of being tired… it's strange… I don't know if I'll ever get used to it…"
As his thoughts faded, his eyes slowly closed, and he drifted off to sleep.
…
Meanwhile, Juro went out for a walk through the village at night.
As he walked under the dim light, a thought lingered in his mind.
"It's still not too late…"
"I can still leave… and never get involved with those kids again…"
Juro smirked.
"Heh… even if I leave, those kids will be fine. After all… that kid is there… Bell."
He then looked up at the sky, staring at the three moons shining above the night.
"He really has some similarities with that man…"
Juro suddenly stopped walking and smiled.
"Alright… you can come out now."
Silence.
No reply.
Juro sighed and continued,
"I said you can come out now. I know you've been waiting for me back at that small village. Did you really think I wouldn't notice such lousy stealth?"
He turned around slowly.
"Even before I entered the village, I already knew you were just watching… waiting for me."
He paused for a moment.
"Although I am impressed… you were able to predict that I'd go to that small village."
Suddenly, a dagger flew straight toward Juro's face.
Without hesitation, Juro caught it by the handle, stopping it just an inch away from his left eye.
"Wewww… that's dangerous," Juro said jokingly as he inspected the dagger.
A silhouette emerged from the shadows, wearing a dark purple coat with a hood.
In an instant, the figure charged toward Juro with another dagger in hand.
"Hoh?" Juro exclaimed with a smile.
The attacker unleashed a series of rapid slashes.
Juro effortlessly dodged every single attack.
While dodging, he casually spoke,
"Hey… so uh, why are you following me?"
The figure responded with a direct slash aimed at his head.
Juro ducked.
"Woah… anyway, can you not talk? Are you mute? Can you not hear? Or are you both?"
Juro continued dodging with ease, speaking as if nothing was happening.
Over time, the attacker grew more agitated. Their movements became more reckless, their attacks more wild.
Juro noticed the change and smirked.
In a sudden motion, he stepped in close.
Before the attacker could react, Juro blew the hood off.
The hood flew back, revealing the attacker's head under the moonlight.
Juro blinked.
"Wow ( ゜o゜)."
The three moons reflected brightly off the attacker's completely bald head.
The attacker grew even more agitated. He enhanced his blade with fire magic, the blade igniting with heat, before quickly throwing it toward Juro.
Juro stood there casually as the blade came rushing toward his face.
With perfect timing, he raised his hand and stopped it right in front of him, holding the burning blade between his fingers.
The attacker's eyes widened in shock. "What the… how are you holding a burning blade?!"
Juro smirked and slightly lifted his hand, revealing his fingertips coated in a thin layer of ice magic.
"Is that all you've got, baldy?" Juro said mockingly.
The attacker's face twisted in anger. He raised his hand toward Juro, preparing to cast magic.
But before he could even open his mouth
Juro vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared right in front of the attacker, his fist already mid-swing.
Boom.
The punch landed cleanly.
The attacker's nose broke instantly, and the force lifted his entire body off the ground, sending him flying backward.
Just as the attacker was about to crash into a building
Juro appeared again.
This time, he caught him by the head with one hand.
The crash never came.
The attacker's body hung helplessly in the air, completely controlled.
Humiliated and furious, the attacker struggled, but it was useless.
Juro tightened his grip and lifted him higher until their eyes met at the same level.
The pressure from Juro's grip made the attacker groan in pain.
Juro calmly placed a finger over the attacker's mouth.
"Shhh."
Without another word, Juro dragged him into a dark alley.
….
Morning came.
Around 7:50 AM, Marc slowly woke up.
He blinked a few times and looked around the room. His eyes landed on Bell, who was sitting on the floor, quietly meditating.
Bell's eyes slowly opened. "Oh, Marc. You're awake."
Marc sat up on the bed and stretched. "Where's Teacher Juro?"
Bell stood up and stretched as well. "He's probably downstairs. Let's go get something to eat."
Marc smiled and nodded. "Yeah."
The two of them went downstairs, but Juro was nowhere to be seen.
Marc scratched his head. "Maybe he's in the kitchen again… hahaha."
They walked toward the kitchen
And there he was.
Juro noticed them immediately and waved. "Oh! Kids, you're up!"
Bell sighed. "Why are you here again?"
Juro grinned widely and ruffled both Bell's and Marc's hair. "Hehe, just helping them out. This inn gets really busy in the morning."
He leaned in slightly and added, "Don't worry, they reserved a table for us for helping them. Ehehe."
Juro then took off his apron and tossed it aside.
"Alright, you two must be hungry. Let's head to the table and get something to eat."
Juro waved goodbye to the chef, and the chef waved back at him.
As they arrived at the table, the lady at the counter approached and placed three plates of rice along with a bowl of vegetable soup. Then she set down three mugs, one mug of coffee for Juro, and two mugs of milk for Bell and Marc.
Marc's eyes lit up. "Ooooo."
Juro chuckled. "Ehehe, and that's not all. I also got us some bread."
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a few pieces of bread.
Bell took a sip of his milk, and a warm, cozy feeling filled him.
Even in his past life, he always preferred milk over coffee or beer.
As the three of them ate their breakfast, they began talking.
"Teacher Juro," Marc asked, "what will our training be today?"
Juro smirked. "Hehe, getting impatient, huh?"
Marc smiled, a small milk mustache forming on his upper lip. "Well, I can't help it. I've been wanting to learn magic for a while now."
Juro laughed and handed Marc a cloth. "Wipe that first."
Marc quickly wiped his mouth.
Juro then continued, "Well, today… you and Bell will be learning how to dodge."
Both Bell and Marc spoke at the same time.
"Dodge?"
Juro simply smiled. "You'll find out later."
…
…
After they finished eating, Juro told them they still had some time before training started.
Marc was pleased to hear that, since he had been wanting to visit the library again.
He turned to Bell. "Hey Bell, want to go to the library again?"
Bell nodded. "Sure."
As the two of them walked toward the library, they talked along the way.
Marc asked, "What books are you going to read, Bell?"
Bell thought for a moment before replying, "Something about magic, I guess."
"Oooo," Marc reacted excitedly.
"Although I don't really need to learn anything… " Bell thought. "Since I already know most of it…"
Marc continued, "I'm also planning to study magic… after reading more books about The Greatest Mage. Ehe."
When they arrived at the library, they noticed a familiar figure standing at the entrance, opening the door.
Marc squinted slightly, then suddenly exclaimed
"Alex!"
The boy turned around, surprised at first, then smiled brightly.
"Bell! Marc!"
The three of them walked inside the library together and started talking.
Marc smiled. "Such a coincidence seeing you, Alex."
Alex chuckled lightly. "I could say the same. I'm still really grateful to the two of you."
Bell stepped forward slightly. "How's your mom's condition?"
Alex's face brightened. "She's actually getting better. In fact, the reason I was able to come to the library today is because of her."
His smile softened as he continued.
"Back then, I didn't have any time for myself because I had to take care of both my little sister and my sick mother… but now that burden has been lifted because of you two. I'm really grateful."
Marc's eyes became a bit teary, but he kept smiling along with Alex.
Bell also gave a small smile. "That's good to hear, Alex."
Marc then asked, "What are you planning to read here?"
"Oh," Alex replied, lifting the book slightly, "I was planning to learn more about how trades and taxes work in the village."
Marc blinked in confusion. "W-what?"
Alex scratched his cheek. "I've actually been interested in these kinds of books since I was really young."
Marc and Bell both smiled at that.
Marc then leaned closer, continuing to talk with Alex about what he planned to read, the two of them getting more engaged in their conversation.
Meanwhile, Bell quietly walked around the library, scanning the shelves.
His eyes moved from one book to another, reading their titles, but showing almost no interest.
"Nothing new…" he thought.
After a while, Bell decided to head back.
He saw Marc and Alex sitting together, both deeply focused on their books, occasionally smiling as they talked.
Bell smiled faintly.
"Marc, I'll be going out for a bit. I'll come back when it's time for training."
Marc looked up and waved. "Okay, Bell. Good luck!"
Alex noticed and tilted his head. "Training?"
Marc immediately turned to him with a big smile. "Mhm! Me and Bell are training to become mages under Teacher Juro."
Alex's eyes widened in amazement. "Woaa, that's so cool… I could never be that great, hahaha…"
Marc quickly shook his head. "You will be someone great, Alex."
Alex looked at him, confused. "How so?"
Marc simply smiled. "Because you're a good friend."
Alex paused for a moment, then smiled softly and looked down at his book.
"Friend… huh…"
…
…
After leaving the library, Bell walked around the village.
He observed everything, the buildings, houses, shops, and small stalls lined across the streets.
Eventually, he entered a potion shop.
He scanned the shelves and noticed that most of the potions were low-grade magic potions.
"I guess it can't be helped… this is still a newly developing village, " Bell thought.
He approached the counter and asked for some low-grade mana potions.
"One potion costs 10 silver," the shopkeeper said.
Bell nodded and bought three potions.