(Male protagonist's POV)
Chief Woer stayed close behind me, but because he was slower than me, he could never close the distance. That did not mean he could not corner me, though. Our battlefield was not an endless plain, and I could not keep running and shooting forever, so I had to catch him by surprise. I shot a few arrows at his feet, then quickly started running toward the woods.
As soon as I reached a tree, I used Primaferus (Primal Savagery) to create claws and quickly climbed it. By the time Woer approached the base of the tree, I had already vanished among the branches and falling snow.
Now it was time to take advantage of the commotion and use one of the enhancements my bond with Sith had given me. My bond with Sith gave me night vision as well as precise, agile movement. We could call this second buff "feline grace."
With it, I could leap up to and down from high places, landing without injury or a sound. Essentially, it gave me abilities like those of a Shadowcat. While everyone's eyes were fixed on the treetop, I had already slipped behind a tree and flanked Chief Woer.
A warrior as experienced as Chief Woer was unlikely to be caught off guard by a flanking attack. They practically had eyes in the backs of their heads because they were used to using their peripheral vision. So, as he approached, I forced him to raise his shield with an arrow, then slipped beneath his shield and shot an arrow at his throat.
In his surprise, all he could say was, "How did that happen?" So I explained how I had done it. He began laughing loudly.
"Hahahahahaha!!! Good, good!! I thought I wasn't underestimating you anymore, but I still was. I, Hugo Woer, recognize you as someone who could hunt down Arthur Dayne with a bow and arrows. How about that, a ten-year-old boy?"
"Come, come! Let's see if your swordsmanship is just as good."
He tossed me a wooden sword, and I could see his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
"Chief Woer, I'm sorry, but I'm not stupid enough to fight you in close combat, at least not yet. If I were fourteen, I would fight you."
"Hahaha! You arrogant brat, you can have your way for now. All right, it's a deal. When you've reached your fourteenth Name Day, we'll have a melee. Also, brat, you can stop calling me Chief Woer. I give you permission to call me 'The Big Bucket.' You've earned the right to call me 'The Big Bucket.'"
He rubbed his big belly as he spoke. Only later did I learn that he had beaten several knights and nobles black and blue for calling him "The Big Bucket" without his permission.
"Brat, you've given us some fine entertainment in these hard, dark days. Thanks to you, we were distracted for a few hours."
When we returned to the great hall, I learned that last summer's harvest had been poor, so they did not have enough supplies to last through winter. On top of that, the settlement's population was dwindling. People were dying of common colds because they were malnourished and weak. They were waiting for food aid from House Stark.
As I lay in bed, I wondered whether there was a way to help these people. If I had enough herbs for the sick, I could cure them, but it was impossible to get any herbs during these winters.
That night, I decided it was time for the world to begin learning of the existence of Druids, which would be an excellent excuse to use my ritual magic. But I could not let them know it was me. I had to create a persona.
The next day, I said goodbye to the mountain tribes. After making sure no one was around, I began collecting grass, bushes, and pieces of trees from my surroundings.
First, I used Quersumby (Oak Shield) on my hands and upper body without leaving any obvious patches, then used Formoheba (Mold Plant) to work the various plant parts into a Druid outfit.
Finally, I made an old man's mask out of plants. My upper body was covered in leaves and bark. A plant belt was tied around my waist. Moss shaped like hair and a beard covered my old man's mask, topped with a small antler crown made from branches.
The only inconvenience was that I had to cast Quersumby (Oak Shield) every two hours, or it would dissipate. For several days, I kept making and modifying the outfit until I mastered how to make it quickly.
There was another problem: the persona's height. I was still a child; I was a big child, but not big enough. At present, I was 1.50 centimeters tall and needed at least another 20 centimeters. For this, I made a pair of platform boots out of wood and plants. Moving was a little difficult, but this outfit was not meant for practicing swordsmanship.
Since walking in the boots was somewhat strenuous, I made a staff and shaped its head into a spiraling horn. With this staff, walking became much easier. When I reached the Woer Tribe again, the guards grew more aggressive at the sight. A walking tree was not something they saw every day.
"Stranger, stop. Don't come any closer. Who are you?"
"I am the voice of the Old Gods; I have come here in their name to help the good people of House Wull. You may call me Druid Emre, priest of the Old Gods."