Vol 3 Chapter 5 – Boyhood: Late Spring at Age Twelve ・Part 2

I had heard that the arrow’s initial speed is roughly around 45 m/s. In the very next moment after my ears caught the sound of the bowstring releasing, it had already covered at least 40 m.

However, even so, it isn’t faster than lightning. Compared to the speed of the electrical signals racing through the brain, it’s as slow as the speed at which one yawns.

My reflexes—honed to their utmost limit by 《Lightning Reflex》—moved me the instant the bow released its sound. As I crouched and turned toward the source, I also rewrote the formula of 《Invisible Hand》—already activated by 《Multiple Thoughts》—to change its trajectory.

Before the arrow coming from the forest at the side of the road could reach me, it had already impaled itself on 《Invisible Hand》.

Yes, the “hand” is a force field created by magical energy. It isn’t formless—its mere presence parts the air and stops anything flying through it. In other words, it functions perfectly as a shield.

But what the hell?! Did I do something?! And seriously, wasn’t that amazing? So cool?!

While I gave myself a round of applause in tune with the arrow’s speed—even though I was utterly confused—I glanced toward the woods about 80 m away and saw human figures moving.

There wasn’t just one figure. They must have realized that their ambush had failed. I could see several figures emerging from the thicket and coming toward me.

Bandits!

They wore filthy clothes, had grimy skin, and unkempt hair. And they wielded a motley assortment of weapons. With that appearance, what else could they possibly be mistaken for but bandits?

In terms of numbers… damn, there are many. There are six in all. The man who fired the arrow stayed within the woods, while five charged toward me at full sprint. They were clearly intending to overwhelm me with sheer numbers.

Ah, for crying out loud, why do they show up in a place like this?! It’s far from the main road, and there’s nothing worthwhile around here!

Or perhaps they were overlooked precisely because it’s such a remote area? Ah, damn it—get your act together, Inspection Squad!!

A jumble of thoughts raced through my mind, but honestly, I must have been completely confused.

After all, I had chosen to stand my ground without a moment’s hesitation.

In retrospect, once I had calmed down, I thought that for a skirmish of this level, a mere apprentice like me didn’t need to risk my life… I could have just tossed it over to the Master—a clearly strong character. It would have been a scenario resolved with nothing more than a snap of a finger.

But that’s not what happened—and wouldn’t have happened. My head was completely fried in my first real battle.

Leading the charge was not a human at all, but a giant ogre—a hulking creature with blue skin, standing about 2 m tall. I wondered if it was male. Compared to Lauren-sann, the bodyguard I once encountered, its appearance was pitifully unimpressive.

Sure, it was large and had some muscle, but it was dressed in tatters and armed with a crude weapon—a sort of axe or hammer that was nothing more than a roughly carved handle with a stone affixed to it. Charging in with bloodshot eyes and drooling, it didn’t look at all like a warrior.

Above all, for someone like me with little experience beyond training, its technique was embarrassingly clumsy. From its footwork to every aspect of its form, it was shockingly amateurish.

The clash was over in an instant. I evaded the charging giant ogre by stepping diagonally forward and, in a compact motion, lifted the “Okuri-ōkami” as if shouldering it—and used it to slice along its flank.

The heavy impact was like the tactile feedback you get when cleaving through something incredibly tough. Although its metallic “skin” and alloy “skeleton” were extremely hard… it was ultimately my skill—and the sharpness of the “Okuri-ōkami”—that prevailed.

Glancing back, I saw the giant ogre, its blue blood spraying out (thanks to its copper content), its flank cut from mid-shoulder down, as it groaned and rolled about.

“GURUAAAAAA!!”

Was it not even speaking in human language?

But I had no time to worry about that oddly behaving ogre; there were still five enemies left.

Next to arrive were four goblins—small demons belonging to the magical species. Despite their diminutive stature, hardly different from that of human children, they possessed strength comparable to an adult’s. Owing to their light weight, they’ve made a name for themselves as explorers of ruins and ancient structures, and they thrive as a magical species found all over the continent, second only to humans in reproductive capacity.

I recognized them instantly—there were even a few goblin families in the manor, and they had been among my childhood playmates.

But something was off. They carried crude, roughly carved wooden weapons and charged as if crazed, showing no sign of rationality or intelligence.

Are they really bandits?

I deflected the wooden spear—its tip sharply pointed—by gently parrying it with the ridge of my sword. When a spear is deflected forcefully, it rotates more quickly, making its counter thrust with the stone tip even sharper. Instead, I cradled it with a gentle parry and then closed the distance to exploit the opening.

“GYUAAAAA!?”

With a small upward slash—not a full windup—I severed the crude spear along with the hand that was holding it. With its arm pinned down as it crouched, it could fight no longer.

Four remain.

Until now, they had charged in separately, so I only had to deal with one-on-one encounters twice. But next, almost simultaneously, two enemies flanked around the neutralized spearman and attacked. One wielded a rusty dagger, while the other carried nothing but a common stone—either, with the strength of an adult, a single blow would have been enough to kill me.

Then, the last enemy—unarmed—seemed to decide to use a crouching ally’s back as a stepping stone and leap at me. They probably hadn’t coordinated at all, yet here they were launching an astonishing three-pronged assault. I was seriously running low on luck!

Ah, damn it—who the hell is rolling the dice on me?

Frankly, it’s impossible for me to fend off all these attacks simultaneously. I could handle assaults from two directions—deflecting one while evading another—but if they come from above as well, it becomes too much. Normally, I would take a few steps back to reset the distance and reposition.

That would have been possible just a week ago.

Without hesitation, I attacked the dagger-wielder—the most threatening of the group. The counter was simple. He charged in foolishly, trying to thrust his dagger with a reverse grip, but my reach was overwhelmingly superior. I plunged my blade into his shoulder, and that was that.

So, what next? Without a moment’s hesitation, I activated a technique I had grown accustomed to over time.

“GUA!?”

A sensation—one that shouldn’t normally occur—began to form.

It was the feeling transmitted through the force field of 《Invisible Hand》, which had been shaped by magical power.

Yes, this isn’t just a technique for picking up a spoon that’s fallen through a gap. With proper “customization,” it can serve as a combat technique.

Using 《Invisible Hand》, I grabbed a goblin by the head and slammed it down onto the one who had raised a stone, intending to deliver a solid blow to my waist.

It packed quite a punch. A small goblin weighs no more than about 30 kg at best. But when you combine the output of the “hand” with the natural force of a fall, it turns into an effective blunt weapon. It’d be like having three sacks of rice drop from above—in most cases, that would be curtains.

The catastrophic sound of flesh colliding resounded as the two figures rolled away, propelled by the lingering momentum of their kinetic energy—it was strangely surreal.

I might have laughed if an arrow had flown out from the space that opened up as one of them retreated.

Well, if I had properly caught the moment the arrow left, it would have been easy to predict its trajectory. Lambert-san, however, would have just grabbed it and tossed it back.

But I planned to handle it in an even smarter way.

Now then, magic possesses “extensibility.” Just as the theory of activation is called a “technique formula,” magic inherently has formulas. The very codes that can deceive or even twist the world are akin to system code.

In other words, if you wanted, you could rework it to suit your needs. Just as a user might commission an upgrade to an interface or expand its functionality, you can simply do it yourself.

I was honestly amazed—after mastering it, I realized that you could pack in tiny add-ons into each technique like separate modules. Seriously, how many ridiculously thick supplements on magic would have to be published for that to be enough?

I made three modifications to 《Invisible Hand》.

The first was 《Unwavering Mighty Arm》. Normally, as your proficiency grows, your “hand” only extends to a certain limit—even if you push it to divine realms, its output is capped at your own strength. By channeling additional magical power into it, you can boost its output.

The second modification is 《Giant’s Palm》. Once again, this feature uses extra magical power to enlarge the force-field “hand,” which is otherwise limited to the same size and length as my real hand. If I ignore the cost in magical energy, I can push it far enough to reach about the size of a tatami mat, and in TRPG terms, its range can even become “line of sight.”

And the final one is 《Third Hand》. While the first two modifications were very cheap—probably because this is such a minor, unremarkable skill—this one costs a bit more. It grants proper tactile sensation to the inherently numb “hand.”

Yes, the “hand” has no feeling. It’s merely a force field, so even though it moves according to my intent, controlling its strength and fine movements is terribly difficult because it lacks sensation. Think of it like an invisible claw machine arm, and you’ll get how awkward it can be.

However, with this feature, I can rely on touch to control it even at long range.

So, what am I going to do with it? Some might get certain R-rated ideas… but I think it’s actually very powerful as a long-range attack option.

“GUO…!?”

Quicker than sound, the “hand” extended and grabbed the giant ogre’s neck as he was preparing his next arrow. Indeed, I was inspired by those people with laser swords in some faraway galaxy long ago, so I tried to imitate them. When I was a kid, I really admired that dark lord…

That said, unlike that dark lord, I didn’t lift him up and strangle him to death. Instead, I used my enlarged palm to clamp firmly around his neck, precisely pressing on his blood vessels. And guess what? A few seconds of struggling later, the giant ogre passed out from lack of oxygen.

By compressing his carotid artery, I cut off the flow of oxygen. As long as one thinks with the brain, there’s no way to counter that.

And thus, in only a little over twenty seconds, my first battle—a veritable life-or-death scene—came to a close.

Right… I used to think it was silly when TRPGs said a round is five or ten seconds. I apologize. One second is far heavier than I’d imagined. Multiple adventurers and enemies can be mixed together, risking their lives, and it still feels “long.”

My hand quivered. I was only now starting to feel the tension from having risked my life. The fact that my hand didn’t start shaking during the fight is entirely thanks to Lambert-san, who drilled me repeatedly right up to the brink of real combat.

Thank goodness… truly… that I’m alive. And that I managed not to kill them.

“What’re you doing?”

A voice that sounded utterly puzzled descended from above. Looking up, I saw Agrippina-san sitting on a frayed edge of space, much like what she’d done on that moonlit night.

And that’s when it hit me. Right, there was a super-strong person backing me up, so I could have just left it all to her.

Just as I was about to complain—“If you noticed, you could’ve helped!”—she dropped a bombshell of a remark.

“Playing around with monsters, huh?”

…Wait, what did you just say?

【Tips】Although magic species and monsters are clearly distinguished, they are essentially the same.

Agrippina de Staal, baron-lady, is an outstanding sorceress.

Because of that, she also knows very well how to “kill,” never neglecting caution. No matter how laid-back or frivolous she appears, she never forgets at least the minimum amount of vigilance.

That doesn’t change even when she’s gracefully scolding her disciple while having lunch.

“Eliza, don’t slurp the soup.”

“Ugh…”

“Also, don’t bite down on the spoon.”

“Eeeh…?”

“And absolutely do not stuff your mouth full at once.”

“Uwehh…?”

Wondering how else she’s supposed to drink it, the disciple tilted her head in confusion. At that moment, one of the many divisions of Agrippina-san’s thought processes sensed something unusual. The detection formula installed in the carriage indicated that a life form was approaching.

It’s not particularly unusual. They’re off the main road—this route was chosen for the sake of having a better-quality inn tonight—but that doesn’t mean nobody ever passes by. In fact, during this season, traffic tends to be quite high. Normally, she would assume it was just a caravan or a stagecoach going by and pay no mind. But if they’re coming “out of the woods,” she can’t exactly ignore it.

No matter how tiny a monster it might be.

All the same, it’s not a small group: four goblins and two ogres. They may be crudely armed, but one of them is an archer. That’s six opponents, each physically superior to the human race in pure specs. From her perspective, it wouldn’t even take a snap of the fingers to handle them “any which way,” but it’s still enough of a force to obliterate a party of inexperienced adventurers.

Even a male giant ogre’s hide is resistant to impacts and slashes, and it has the toughness to shrug off half-baked 《Transmutation》 or 《Manifestation》 magic through sheer physical durability.

Meanwhile, each goblin has the strength of an adult man and even more agility. A small creature that moves quickly appears even faster in practice.

On the other side, there’s a single child who hasn’t even had his first battle yet, caught off guard. He’s twelve, his body not fully developed. He’s got just one sword and a handful of newly learned, non-combat spells. No armor—he isn’t even wearing chainmail—and only travel clothes with zero protection against blades.

If there had been a bookmaker watching this scene, he would have shaken his head and declared the match void, switching the bet to “How many seconds until the poor kid is reduced to a corpse?”

“Eliza, tilt the spoon and let the soup fall gently into your mouth.”

“That’s haaard…”

Still, the sorceress never lost her grace. It was lunchtime, after all, and it would be a waste to hastily shovel in such exquisitely prepared food.

The first strike of the ambush was loosed. Had things gone as they were, an arrow would have ended up somewhere in the boy’s body.

But that’s not what happened.

“Huh…?”

Just as I was about to cast a barrier with a mere murmur, the arrow stopped well before it reached its target. Her special eyes, which can “see” magic, detected what should have been an invisible hand. Something that normally would only be used to pick up small objects was, incredibly enough, capturing an arrow.

“Well, now…”

“What’s up, master?”

She couldn’t help but murmur in admiration. Indeed, magic depends on how you use it. Even the common 《Purify》 formula could be refitted for combat to “peel off all an enemy’s skin,” a truly gruesome specification. Its simple nature means it’s easy to resist, but that weakness can be covered by massive amounts of magical power. She even knows one combat sorcerer who fights in that horrifying style.

“It’s nothing.”

Sure, if you really put your mind to it, you could kill someone with a kitchen knife or even a tissue. And with magic’s vast extensibility, that’s even more true. Apparently, that apprentice’s combat instincts are sharper than I thought.

Thinking that maybe, in the future, he could serve not just as an apprentice but as a close aide, she decided to watch him fight. She might have offered help, but for some reason he was raring to go, so oh well.

Besides, she had read in a book that if a child is enthusiastic, you shouldn’t stop them. It only kills their curiosity and ambition, nipping their future in the bud. So she would follow the advice of her predecessors.

As it turned out, the apprentice performed admirably. He alone cut down an enemy force that could have half-wiped, if not outright annihilated, a rookie adventurer party.

Yet she had one question: why didn’t he finish off the monsters?

If they had been plain bandits, I could see why. You can make pocket money if they’re alive, so knocking them out and dragging them to the authorities would be worthwhile.

But monsters aren’t worth anything alive, are they?

Confronted with this mystery, she felt ill at ease. She finished her soup, and lunch had come to a lull.

“Eliza, behave yourself for a moment.”

“Hmm?”

Determined to ask the apprentice about his real motives, the sorceress cut through space…….