My younger brother, Larcus, doesn’t play with me even if I invite him. He once played with me, but he then told me that he was not competent enough to play with me and he needed training. And since then, he hadn’t play with me even once.

My brother has some special att.i.tude, but he is not cheeky at all. Still, I don’t like it for some reason.

Our maid Tanya keeps saying that, “Young Master Larcus is a genius.” However, she has never called me “genius”. She does not actually perform such att.i.tude, but it feels like she is looking down on me.

I think that the men should be strong rather than smart. My father is not very smart even in my opinion as a child, but everybody treats him with respect. The reason for that is simply because he is strong. Moreover, he is extraordinarily strong. I think that even if the everybody in the village would attack father all together, they would not even give a scratch on him. I want to be a man like my father; however, I want to at least learn reading and writing, subtraction and addition.

After his sword training was over, Larcus went out by himself as always, but recently, it seems that he is carrying the dagger that he had taken from Tanya with him.

I go out as well, but today, I am alone.

Recently, the surrounding protective weirs is close to completion, and my father also goes to the forest to subjugate the monster in the neighbourhood everyday; thus, the probability of getting attacked by monsters is getting low. Also, everybody starts to help on farm work when they turn 10 years old, that’s why, the ones who can play with me and accompany me on the sword training are quite few now.

My parents are the guards of the village, so I have to get stronger, otherwise, there won’t be much I can help with. I want to become someone who can make a living with my sword in the future, so I need to keep training even if I am alone.

I immersed myself into the sword training and before long my Stamina was depleted, so I sat down while murmuring to myself.

“Everybody used to follow me back then, but look at the sorry state of mine now.”

Suddenly, while looking around myself, I saw Larcus a bit far away. It seemed like he was pulverizing some dried gra.s.ses in a seemingly self-made wooden bowl. I got curious about what he was doing, so I got closer and call out to Larcus.

“What are you doing, Larcus?”

Apparently, Larcus was quite concentrated on it, so he was startled as he turned his face to me.

“So it was you, Big Brother. Please don’t scare me. What are you doing here all alone?”

I ignored his inquiry and repeated my question.

“What is with that reaction? Anyway, what are you doing?”

“I picked up gra.s.ses around here and tried to turn them into the medical plant ingredients by drying them, so that I could try to make potions out of them. I didn’t test them yet. Would you like to drink it? It recovers Stamina a little.”

This kid thought of doing something crazy as usual. “It is not so easy to make a potion,” as I think that, I still taste the liquid inside the bowl he gave me.

‘cough, cough’

“What is that? It is extremely bitter.”

“I forgot to tell you. I can not guarantee about the taste. So how is it? Did your Stamina recover a little?”

Now he said that, my body indeed feels a little lighter.

“It is not so easy to make a potion.”

“If they are simple recovery potions, everybody can make them as long as they know the exact amount of materials and the manufacturing procedure. The problem starts after you became capable of this. However, while making a genuine potion, you need to pour your magical power into the ingredients at the various steps of manufacturing procedures such as at the step before you dry the gra.s.ses, at the step when you pulverize the gra.s.ses and at the step when you mix them up with liquid. And you need [Magic Granting] skill in order to do that. If you don’t acquire that skill, you can still pour your magical power into them however you pour either too much or too little so you can not control your magical power skilfully. Well, I have no choice but to grow accustomed it.”

Since I can’t use magic, I couldn’t understand it very well.

“What are you planning to become in the future?”

“What is with you today Big Brother? You would not normally bother with me. Ah, I see… It is the busy farming season now, so everybody is busy with helping their parents.”

I was irritated at the words of my little brother since he sounded like he saw through me, so I repeated my question.

“It has nothing to do with that. Just answer my question already.”

Larcus answered while shrugging his shoulders.

“I guess I want to become an Adventurer firstly. In this world, the weak dies easily on a whim. I have to become someone who can shake off the danger. “

A few years ago when I was still a child, monsters attacked the village and many people died. I also had felt that the weak would not be able to live on in this world back then.

“I see. That’s how I think as well.”

My Stamina is recovered. That’s a perfect opportunity.

“Then, let’s practice together.”

Larcus then answered with a reluctant face.

“I am currently doing Mixing practice, and my dagger skills is no match for your sword skills.”

“Don’t worry about being a match or not. Just do it.”

“Why don’t you try to study as well instead of always practicing sword, Big Brother?”

My brother stood up while murmuring something. And I restarted my sword training against my brother with the satisfaction of talking him down (into training).