12-Perception of magical power

Well. But still, what is wrong with this monster?

My dad shifted his gaze from me to the demon and opened his mouth.

I had been thinking about 'stinking' earlier, and I replied, feeling a little grateful for my dad's words.

'Yeah. It's a distraction to have it here.

A boar-like demon.........let's call it a giant boar for now. That fellow had fallen on the spot as if blocking the path.

As the path is located in the forest, its huge body is more than a little obstructive as it lies.

Since more than 80% of the path is blocked, we can't just leave it here.

Then I was looking at the big boar and thought to myself, "It looks pretty much like a boar.

It looks pretty much like a boar. And I've heard that boars and pigs taste similar.

........Then I guess this monster can eat it too, right?

So I looked up at my dad and asked him.

"Hey, Dad,

Yeah?　What?

Dad puts his hand to his chin in thought and twists his head to look down at me. Here Mom would bend over to make eye contact with me, but I don't think that's a good gesture for Dad.

So I look up at him and continue to speak.

I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I was wondering if demons are different from normal animals in that they can't eat.

No. I heard there are some demons that can be eaten. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. Well, as I said, there are some tasteless demons and some delicious demons,

Okay. So....

I looked around at the demon blocking my path.

Then my father's eyebrows knit together in disbelief.

"Are you going to take this thing home with you and eat it?　This big, stupid creature?　I might be able to take it apart and bring it home, but I don't even have the tools with me right now.

'Nope. No, I mean, can't we just pull it off normally and go home?

That's impossible. It's over three hundred pounds by my count.　If there were ten adults here, it would still be impossible for the two of us.

But I didn't see it that way, Dad assured me.

But I didn't think so, because I was different from most people.

If I used it, I might be able to use it.

As if he realized what I was thinking, his eyebrows, which had been furrowed, opened and a boyish glow dwelt in his father's face.

'........can you do it?

Maybe.

When I return it shortly, Dad mumbles with a scrutiny in his eyes.

It's amazing. That's what a man's romance is all about.

I found it odd that he was staring into the distance like that.

Anyway, I'm going to do what my dad calls 'male romance' here.

I remembered some of the spells in the book. While carefully checking their effects, I tried to figure out which spell to use.

........There were about three spells that I could use.

The first one is one that genuinely increases muscle strength.

The second was one that would improve my overall physical abilities.

The last one is one that makes the body sturdier and less prone to injury.

But none of them seemed to be decisive.

If you improve your muscle strength, you can't carry a big boar when you only improve your arms.

Even if you improve your overall physical ability, you will not be able to carry a giant boar because your range of improvement is small.

Needless to say, if you make your body strong, the muscle strength for carrying it will not increase.

Is there a magic trick that can carry the big boar and still not have its weight become a burden to the body?

While I was groaning and thinking for a while, an idea popped into my head.

'Maybe I can do this.'

'Oh!　That's my boy!

I haven't done anything yet.

I said three (...) spells, much to Dad's dismay, as he screamed with excitement.

The moment he chanted three at the same time, his whole body became crisp and hot.

First, raise the bottom of the physical ability, then increase the physical endurance of the body, and finally, increase the strength of the entire body's muscles.

Simply increasing the strength of the entire body's muscles would put a lot of strain on them. That's why he first improved his physical ability to raise the basic ability of his entire body, then increased his endurance, and then increased his muscle strength.

When he chanted the three spells like this........I see.

Power came up from the bottom of my stomach, but there was no unpleasant sensation. On the contrary, I thought that I would be fine with any kind of heavy object now.

'I'll give it a try,'

Then I said that and tried to pull the giant boar. Then the giant boar started to move, scraping the ground for a long time.

That's it, Gerald!

'Yes!　Come on, let's bring it home to your mother soon!

The body of a five year old is indeed too small to be able to carry the big boar.

However, the strengthened body dragged the big boar along rather easily.

But still, if you think it's just a hike, you're encountering demons, defeating them, and carrying them like this.

That's just what it's all about, it's like... what can I say?

Dad. That was a fun 'adventure' today, wasn't it?

Hmm?　Oh. Yeah. That was an 'adventure'.

Then we look at each other and both of us chuckle. The sound of dragging a prey, which is quite a lot for 'just a hike', echoes in the dimming sky.

'So why was there an unfamiliar demon in that place? There shouldn't have been any dungeons around here, but...

My dad tilts his head back and mutters to himself. But he seemed to have second thoughts right away.

'Oh well. I'll let the lord know the next time I'm in town.

He was selfishly convinced that he was alone.

--

Eventually we returned home. It seems that my mother is just cooking and I can smell the delicious aroma of the soup drifting outside. My stomach growls involuntarily.

I'm hungry, Dad.

Yes. I can't wait to get to dinner.

While having such a conversation, I take the big boar I dragged in to the back of the house for now. The villagers would be mystified by such a large prey, you know.

We can dismantle it later and store it in a warehouse or something.

Then, as I was about to walk into the house, I suddenly felt dizzy.

My feet felt somewhat wobbly. The blood seems to be running through my entire body and I can't help but feel hot.

''What is that.......what is this?''

It does not move forward. The world appears to be distorted.

What is going on? The front door should be right in front of me, but I can't reach it even if I reach for it.

''Uh ... ah, father, sir?　Ka.........ah, sir.

I thought he mumbled and I fell to the spot on my face.

My vision was getting darker and darker, and my ears were getting distant.

As the world grew farther and farther away, I thought I heard my mother and father calling my name.

Then, just like that, my consciousness -- blacked out.

--

I felt a fluffy consciousness surfacing.

At the same time I felt something pulling me upward, I was waking up with a start.

''........Huh?''

When I woke up, I realized that I had been asleep. No, it's probably better to say I was passed out rather than asleep.

I have no memory of what happened when I fell asleep.

Now I'm apparently lying on the futon in the children's room. The familiar ceiling out of the corner of my eye confirms that I'm lying on my back for now.

The back of my head seemed strangely fuzzy and foggy. I felt a strange heat in the back of my head, but when I touched it, it wasn't extremely hot.

What in the world is this sensation?

For now, I'm going to get up. I didn't feel any headache or nausea, but instead I was irresistibly hungry.

'....I want to eat something.

He mumbled vaguely and stood up. With that, the air around me wavered faintly as it glowed with a golden light.

.........hmm?

What was that thing that just flashed?

I look towards the window. I could tell that the sun seemed to be rising in the sky for now, whether it was morning or noon, but the room was subtly dim due to the cloth that had been lowered to block out the sunlight.

There was no room for a golden light to be born.

''Hmm?　Is it my imagination...?

If I consciously looked there(...) while wondering, the air around my focused gaze began to glow gold again.

''Hey, eh, I didn't use any magic!

I thought it was a magical luminescence, and I couldn't help but wince.

When I looked down at my hand in confusion, I saw a light there that was darker than the air around it, shining clearly.

That light seemed to completely cover my body without even thinking about it.

''Is this........magic power?''

Apparently I was able to detect magic in my sleep.