Chapter 20: Strengthening The Child
by fnovelpia
I quietly observed the old man.
The book was only about halfway finished.
As if considering my ignorance, the old man took care to write down even the smallest details for me.
He added little notes beneath his memos, jotted down relevant examples, and sometimes even clumsily sketched illustrations to accompany them.
I lowered my gaze to examine the old man’s notes.
‘Still, most of it doesn’t make sense to me…’
Yet, I felt grateful for all of it.
For the fact that someone was with me in this journey of learning, just like now.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The old man smiled.
As if it were truly nothing at all.
With a leisurely gaze, the old man looked at the child and spoke.
“Take good care of the child, will you?”
“…Yeah.”
I nodded slowly.
The old man lowered his eyes again and resumed writing.
‘I should put in more effort too.’
Somehow, it seemed like I would need even more books.
Stepping away from the counter, I headed toward the bookshelves.
‘First, a book about rabbits…’
While searching for the book, my eyes met the child’s.
For a moment, the child’s pupils widened in surprise.
When I smiled at the child, the book in the child’s hands slipped and fell to the floor again with a soft sound – thud.
A slight worry sprouted in my chest.
Seeing how often she dropped books, it seemed her grip was quite weak.
I slowly approached the child.
As the child hurriedly tried to pick up the book, she froze when she noticed me getting closer and looked up.
At that moment, the book slipped from the child’s hands once more and slid to the floor.
“Umm…”
“……”
Carefully, I knelt down.
Picking up the fallen book, I placed it back into the child’s hands.
“Here you go.”
“……”
The child hugged the book tightly.
‘If the child holds it that firmly, she won’t drop it again, right?’
Just as I thought that and was about to step past them—
“Hm?”
“……”
A small hand tightly grasped the hem of my robe.
Tremble, tremble— her arm shook with the effort, as if she were straining with all her might not to let go.
And yet, it was so weak that even a slight tug from me would easily free it.
“You’re really weak…” “……”
But the child’s will was strong.
The desire to stay by my side,
Was conveyed to even my indifferent self.
Slowly, I stretched out both hands.
“Should I hug you?”
“!”
The child’s eyes widened.
After a moment, the child nodded vigorously.
Carefully, I pulled the child into an embrace.
“Alright. You can choose too.”
“……?”
“I’m going to look for a book about rabbits.”
“!”
The child’s hands clutched my robe even tighter.
From those small fingers,
I could feel excitement and anticipation radiating.
Holding the child,
I walked slowly between the tightly packed bookshelves.
The child’s gaze darted here and there.
Sometimes staring curiously at each book,
Other times shifting slightly in my arms to adjust position.
“Found it.”
“!”
I stopped walking in front of the section where animal-related books were displayed.
“Rabbits… there aren’t many about rabbits.”
“…….”
“At most, maybe three books….”
I took out all the visible books.
The child’s eyes slowly scanned over them.
The cautiousness in those eyes was so palpable that I couldn’t help but laugh.
Gently, I seated the child in a chair.
As if reluctant to let go,
The child stretched out both arms and whined.
Instead of hugging,
I placed the rabbit-related books on the child’s lap.
The child pouted and looked up at me.
“Can you look through them carefully?”
“……?”
“The rabbit will like the book you choose the most.”
“!”
The child’s eyes sparkled.
Pressing lips together firmly, the child opened the book
And began turning the pages with a serious expression.
Small fingers traced the illustrations carefully,
And every time a rabbit appeared, the corners of the mouth lifted slightly.
Somehow, the sight was both amusing and endearing, so I stood and watched for a while.
“You’re doing well.”
“……!”
The child hid her face behind the book.
The slightly exposed ears were turning red again.
‘…Are she cold?’
I felt a little worried.
What if the clothing store refuses to sell to us?
I examined the child’s thin clothes.
Worn, tattered,
Closer to rags than actual clothing.
Winter was coming soon.
Even now, in late autumn, the child were this cold—
There was no way that fragile body could endure the harshness of midwinter.
‘Maybe I should measure the child’s size in advance, or…’
Lost in thought over solutions, I let out a small sigh.
After all, it was only a temporary fix.
To live with the child,
I needed more things.
Groceries, clothes, and other necessities.
‘What if the merchants refuse, like the grocer did…?’
For a moment, I imagined that possibility.
The entire village shaking her heads and shutting her doors.
“…That would be troublesome.”
“……?”
“Nothing. Just reading.”
I slowly sank into thought.
The safest option was to take the child far away to an unknown place, but…
The problem was, due to the war, the surrounding villages were in terrible shape.
Ruined villages, vanished pathways, collapsed bridges.
The scenes I’d witnessed over the past few years flashed through my mind.
Too many places had already crumbled, and the few that remained intact were a long journey from here.
Even then—
The child was overflowing with refugees, and gangs of thieves and bandits ran rampant.
‘And if you include the monsters lurking everywhere…’
Even if we were careful, it would be hard to avoid danger entirely.
Alone, it wouldn’t have mattered, but the world was too harsh for a child to walk through.
‘This is inconvenient.’
If only I could use [Long-Distance Teleportation] magic, I could reach any place and return within a day.
For a moment, I shifted my gaze.
A head tilting left and right.
Round eyes fixed on the book.
Small fingers slowly tracing the illustrations.
Everything about the child was tiny and fragile. As if the slightest touch could break them.
‘Too weak. Far too weak.’
If only the child could endure [Long-Distance Teleportation] magic, even just barely.
But since that wasn’t possible, the fastest and easiest method was out of reach.
‘…Isn’t there any other way?’
Lost in thought, I turned to magic and alchemy.
In the past, there had been ways to strengthen and toughen the body.
Medicinal herbs, minerals, mushrooms, magic crystals, and other rare materials.
Combining them into potions could harden skin, fortify bones, and strengthen muscles.
‘Though I’m not sure if it would still work now…’
Beyond that, there were ancient spells to reconstruct the body’s mana flow, and rituals to drastically enhance durability and recovery.
The problem was, the child all required a body strong enough to endure the process.
“Hmm…”
Right now, the child didn’t even have basic stamina.
Small, fragile, and utterly powerless,
Even crawling on the dirt floor left it bleeding and bruised.
‘Its body can’t handle it right now.’
If I wanted to enhance it,
I had to focus on recovery first.
Carefully—
but surely.
I stopped flipping through the spines of the books.
Took a slow breath, organizing my thoughts calmly.
‘It’s not entirely impossible.’
Fortunately, the effect of my horn worked well on the child.
There was more vitality in it now than before,
And the vivid bruises and wounds were healing quickly.
If it responded this well,
Then recovery and even a certain level of enhancement should be possible.
I skimmed through the book spines again.
‘And… with the right medicine for humans in their current state…’
If I adjusted it meticulously—
Cautiously,
With extreme precision—
Then maybe…
Very slowly,
Calculations began in my mind.
Memories of the past,
Alchemical ingredients,
The structure of magic,
The gap between theory and practice.
Piece by piece,
Slowly but without faltering,
I started fitting them together.
‘Dilute the medicine, use magic as a supplementary measure. Design the spell formula at the smallest unit and readjust.’
If I calibrated it step by step like this,
I could tailor it to a level the child could handle now.
Retracing the past, I quickly searched through the books.
Recovery,
Enhancement,
Regeneration— those were the priorities.
“Ah, this one might work too.”
“……?”
The child’s eyes turned to me.
Its head tilted slightly.
“Just picking out some books.”
“……”
“I’m thinking of making your body a little stronger.”
“?”
The child’s eyes widened into perfect circles.
Its small head nodded very slowly.
Looking down at it, I smiled faintly.
“It’ll work out. I’m confident in this.”
“……”
For now,
I needed to assess the current state of humans first.
‘…I should contact Lakhis.’
If anyone knew best, it would be Lakhis.
Until then, I’d focus on the child’s recovery and stamina.
“Alright. I think this is enough for now.”
“!”
“What about you? Did you pick a book?”
The child held out a book.
A single book in its small hands.
On the cover were two rabbits.
Soft watercolor-style illustrations,
And the title written beneath:
[Everything About Raising Rabbits]
I nodded slowly.
“Yep. You chose well.”
“……!”
The child’s eyes sparkled.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, but unmistakably.
“Good job.” “!”
I gently patted her head.
As I did, I glanced toward the checkout counter.
Perhaps the organizing was finished— the old man had set down his pen and was watching us.
I carefully held the child in my arms.
“Let’s go. We’ve got clothes to buy, and a lot to do.”
“……!”
I gathered the chosen books and stepped up to the counter.
The old man picked them up and spoke as if he’d been waiting.
“About the groceries. I’ll buy them for you.”
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Hoho, who’s going to complain about an old man doing some shopping?”
The old man grinned mischievously.
But his expression held more deep consideration than playfulness.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. If you run into trouble again, just let me know.”
“Then, could you buy clothes for us too?”
The old man, who had been ringing up the books, paused and looked at me.
“I need to get clothes for the child, but I’m worried the clothing store might turn us away too.”
“Hmm…”
The old man nodded slowly.
After finishing the transaction, he carefully placed the books in a bag and handed them to me.
Then, he took off his apron and stepped out from behind the counter.
“Let’s go together.”
“Together?”
“The owner of the clothing store is decent, but you never know with people. Having this old man along might make things easier.”
“Are you sure?”
The old man waved a hand dismissively and chuckled.
“The shop can be left alone for a while. It’s not like I get many customers anyway.”
“…I see. Thank you.”
As he finished speaking, he grabbed his coat and hat.
I watched him, the bag of books in my hand, and the child in my arms, taking it all in slowly.
“Ah, right.”
“Hm? What now?”
“Can I make the child strong?”
The old man, who had been putting on his coat, looked up at me.
“Such a way you phrase it.”
“What is?”
“Well, why not? A child’s strength is what matters most.”
“…Right.”
Strength is what matters most, huh.
Turning his words over in my mind, I held the child even tighter.
“Alright. Let’s head out.”
“Yeah.”
Following the old man’s leisurely steps, I slowly moved forward.
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