Honeymoon

The morning market in Sharia was even noisier than I had imagined.

A man selling fruit shouted at the top of his lungs. Two students in academy uniforms ran past us, carrying stacks of books, and nearly collided with a woman carrying a shoulder pole. Some of the magic circle signs along the street glowed, while others billowed smoke. The air was thick with the greasy smell of roasting meat and the scent of herbs drifting from some shop or other.

Eris walked beside me. She was wearing the same white dress as yesterday, with her sword at her waist. The way she walked was completely out of place for a shopping trip. Her shoulders were tense, and she didn't seem to know what to do with her hands.

She wore armor and pants for three years on the Demon Continent, and now she's suddenly out shopping in a dress. She's forgotten how to walk. This must be hard on her. Hehe.

"You don't have to make yourself uncomfortable."

"Lilia picked it out. She said I should dress properly on the second day of our marriage."

"...Why won't you listen to me?"

"What she said made more sense than what you said."

Her tone was so serious, as if wearing a dress were a combat mission. I gave a helpless smile.

We went to the furniture store first.

The shop was small, with wooden furniture piled from floor to ceiling. The air smelled of wood shavings and pine resin. The owner was a round, plump middle-aged man whose eyes lit up when he saw us come in.

"The newlywed Greyrats! Congratulations! What can I get you?"

"...How did you know we were married?"

"The whole street knows. Mr. Paul bought two chairs from me the day before yesterday and said they were for his son's wedding."

I looked at Eris. Her face was expressionless, but her fingers tightened around her sword hilt.

"We need a desk," I said. "And a wardrobe."

"A big desk," Eris suddenly said. "He has a lot to write."

I turned to look at her. She wasn't looking at me; her eyes were fixed on an oak desk in the corner.

Three Asuran silver coins. I felt my purse. There was still plenty left of the living expenses Paul had given me. Three silver coins wasn't expensive, and a good desk could last for years.

"All right."

Eris walked over to the desk and ran her palm across its surface. Her touch was gentle, as if she were feeling something precious.

She had everything when she lived at House Boreas. All the furniture was custom-made for nobles. She's probably never picked out furniture herself. This is her first time choosing something for herself, her first time furnishing her own home.

"What about a wardrobe?"

She pointed to a dark brown wardrobe in the corner. It wasn't large, with two doors and a drawer underneath. "There's enough room for two people's clothes."

The owner's eyes narrowed to slits as he smiled. "You have a good eye, ma'am. It's white oak, resistant to insects and damp."

Eris's shoulders stiffened when she heard the word "ma'am."

"...Mm."

She turned her head away and pretended to look at the chair beside her. But I saw her ears turn red again.

After leaving the furniture store, we went to a weapon shop.

Eris changed the moment she stepped inside. Her shoulders relaxed, and the tension in her stride vanished. Her eyes swept over the weapons on the racks, one by one, her fingers curling slightly as she gauged the weight of each sword.

She's like she's come home the moment she enters a weapon shop. She's a swordswoman, so the things she likes most are probably all kinds of swords.

"I'd like to look at your practice swords," she told the shopkeeper.

She picked them up and tried them one by one. She gripped a hilt, gave the sword a light swing, and put it back. Then she picked up another and swung again.

Her movements were casual, but the shopkeeper's gaze changed as he watched her. He had probably realized from her grip that she was no ordinary person.

"This one." She drew a wooden sword from the rack. Its blade was slightly longer than an ordinary wooden sword's, and its grip was wrapped in leather. She swung it, and it cut cleanly through the air.

"Good choice, miss. It's ash, flexible and hard to break. One silver coin and two copper coins."

"No need to buy it." She put the sword back. "I have a sword."

But her fingers lingered on the hilt for an extra second.

I saw it.

"We'll take it," I told the shopkeeper, walking over and taking the sword off the rack.

"I said we didn't need it."

"Your hand didn't want to let go when you were holding it just now."

Eris glared at me. Then she looked away and stared at a shield on the wall.

"...Do what you want."

I handed the shopkeeper the money. Smiling, he wrapped the wooden sword in cloth and gave it to me. I took it and pressed it into Eris's hands.

She clutched the sword, and the corners of her mouth curved up a little. I saw that too.

She looks happy. Great! I never even dated in my last life, and now I'm married at fourteen. And buying my wife a sword makes her happy. Life!

That afternoon, we went to a magic item shop.

It was in a narrow alley, with a faded wooden sign hanging outside: "Neris Magic Item Workshop, Seventh Branch." The shop was cramped, and the counter was crowded with crystal bottles, magic scrolls, and metal plates engraved with patterns. A faint smell of sulfur hung in the air.

An old dwarf sat behind the counter. His gray-white beard was thick enough to braid, and his fingers were short and thick, though his nails were neatly trimmed. A magnifying glass and a pile of half-dismantled parts lay in front of him.

"Hmm?" He raised his head, the magnifying glass making his eyes look twice their size. "What is it?"

"I wanted to ask you about prosthetics." I held out my left wrist. The artificial hand I'd made with earth magic looked dull gray in the light.

The old dwarf crouched in front of me, tapped the surface of the hand with a finger, then took my wrist and turned it around.

"Earth magic?"

"Yes."

"This one is dead. It can't move or bend. To make a living artificial hand, you need three things."

"What three things?"

"First, a mana circuit. Your artificial hand has no path for mana to travel through, so it stops at the severed end. You need to engrave miniature magic circles inside it to carry mana from your arm to your fingertips.

"Second, a joint structure. Yours is one solid piece of earth, with no joints. To make one that moves, you need at least five joint points: one at the wrist and one at the base of each finger. It can't be made of earth; that's too brittle. You need metal or monster bone.

"Third, precision control. Even if you get the first two right, you won't be able to operate it unless your mana control is precise enough. Have you practiced miniature magic?"

"...No."

"Then start with this." The old dwarf rummaged under the counter and brought out a small wooden box containing a crystal ball the size of a fingernail. "Wrap the ball in mana every day and keep it that way for thirty minutes without breaking or cracking it. Come back when you can control five balls at once."

I took the crystal ball. It was light and cool to the touch, its surface colder than the air.

"How much?"

"It's free." The old dwarf waved a hand. "You're Mr. Paul's son, right? When he came by the day before yesterday, he helped me repair the stone steps outside. He carried stones with one hand while the other was empty. It hurt to watch."

I was stunned.

Paul came here and helped a dwarf he didn't know repair his stone steps with one hand. He probably saw them while he was out for a walk, then went over to help. That's the kind of man Paul is. He's careless in the way he talks, but he never does things by halves.

"...Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Take it home and practice."

That evening, we walked home along the river.

The river in Sharia wasn't wide. It reflected the setting sun, its surface scattered with fragments of orange-red light. Several willow trees stood along the bank, their branches trailing in the water.

Eris walked ahead of me, the wooden sword we'd just bought at her waist. Her steps were much more relaxed than they had been that morning.

"Rudeus."

"Hmm?"

"Once, when Ghislaine was still in Fittoa Territory, she took me to a wheat field."

Her voice was soft, almost scattered by the river breeze.

"She took me running along the ridges between the fields. The wheat was tall, and the heads brushed against my face as we ran. It tickled. I fell, and Ghislaine picked me up and brushed the wheat chaff off my head."

She stopped and looked out over the river, the setting sun painting her profile a warm orange.

"After the Teleportation Incident, everything was gone, and Ghislaine left too."

"...Yeah."

Fittoa Territory was her home, and mine too. That golden wheat field, the dirt road leading from the City of Roa to the countryside, the room where I'd taught her to write-all of it had disappeared in the Teleportation Incident.

"What was your old home like?"

My steps stopped.

My old home... In my last life in Japan, it was a six-tatami room piled full of garbage and takeout containers. The curtains were never opened. That wasn't a home, just a container for staying alive. But I can't say that.

"...Small."

"How small?"

"One room, with everything crammed inside."

Eris glanced at me. Her gaze was calm, and she didn't press me.

"Now we have a big home."

"...Yeah."

She moved a little closer. The river breeze blew her hair against my face, tickling me a little. I didn't brush it away.

"Let's go home," she said, her voice softer than the sound of the river. "Wherever you are, that's home."

By the time we reached our front door, the sun had set completely.

The crooked-necked tree in the yard had become a black silhouette in the dusk. The old wooden sign by the door was still blank, with nothing written on it.

A middle-aged woman leaned out from next door. When she saw us, she smiled and waved.

"The newlywed Greyrats are home!"

"...Hello."

"I run the bakery next door. If you ever need help with anything, just let me know!"

"Thank you."

Eris stood straight behind me, her expression so serious that she looked ready to go to war.

"...Thank you," she said too. Her voice was quiet but clear.

The woman from the bakery smiled and withdrew.

Eris lowered her head and hurried into the yard. Behind her, I could see that her ears were bright red.

I opened the door. A light was on in the living room.

Master Roxy sat at the long table with a drawing spread out before her. Hearing the door open, she looked up.

"You're back?"

"Yeah."

"Did you get what you needed?"

"A desk and a wardrobe, and a practice sword."

Master's gaze fell on my left hand. I took out the crystal ball the old dwarf had given me and placed it on the table.

She picked it up, examined it, and nodded.

"I have an idea for improving your artificial hand." She pushed the drawing toward me. It showed a complex magic circle structure. "I've been researching how to miniaturize mana circuits these past few days. Your earth hand is dead, but if we engrave mana conduction paths inside it, we can make it partly movable."

"Partly movable?"

"You'll be able to turn your wrist and bend your fingers. But you'll have to practice controlling your mana precisely yourself." She pointed to the crystal ball on the table. "The dwarf was right. Start by practicing miniature magic. One hour a day, wrap this ball in mana without breaking or cracking it."

"You've been thinking about this for a while, Master?"

"...Yes." She lowered her head, returning her gaze to the drawing. "Ever since you made that hand."

My throat tightened a little.

Master Roxy was already trying to find a solution for me before I even asked. She doesn't say anything, but she's always working on it. Honestly, Master is practically the most perfect being in the world. She's smart and serious, and with that expression on a face that's forever fourteen, I think I can understand the people in my previous life who went broke chasing idols. Besides, I also have... I just have to be careful not to let anyone find out.

"There's also the matter of enrollment." She looked up at me. "Special students don't have to take the written exam, but the vice principal will arrange an entrance test."

"An entrance test?"

"Yes, a mock battle." Master's tone was calm. "And I heard there's a student at the university who can use voiceless magic, just like you. His name is Fitz. They say he's the greatest genius at the school and has even joined the student council. The vice principal will most likely have you fight him."

"An opponent who can cast without chanting?"

"Yes." She tapped the magic circle structure on the drawing with her finger. "Your Rock Bullet and Disturb Magic should be enough to handle it. But be careful. The university has all sorts of people, Asuran nobles and children of royal families from various countries. Don't make too much of a show after you win, and don't embarrass your opponent too badly."

I nodded.

An opponent who can cast without chanting. There are only a handful of people in this world who can do that, and there's actually one at the university. It'll be good to meet him when the time comes.

Eris had already gone upstairs. Her footsteps came down from the second floor; she had probably gone to put away her new wooden sword.

I sat across from Master, looking at the drawing and the crystal ball on the table.

"Let's take it slowly."