First Winter & Genius

After merely six months of experiencing same day over and over again, I finally had strength enough to crawl!

This was a time for celebration, but let's hold off on that, considering celebration, to me, meant a flashy explosion in my previous life. If I actually did something like that right now, it might potentially destroy not only this house but also a quarter of the village.

Hmm, forget it. Let's save that for another time.

For some reason, once my clueless parents saw me crawling like a snail for the first time, they were left utterly flabbergasted.

Well, which parent in the world wouldn't be?

Their six-month-old infant had started crawling out of nowhere, so their reaction seemed pretty normal in my opinion. If it were my child, I'd probably call them a genius and spoil them rotten.

On the other hand, Lilia, our maid, wasn't shocked as much as my parents, which was surprising, at least for me. Did she know that I was a reincarnated person? Or it might be that she had encountered such situations before? I was hoping for it be the latter, because unlike my mother, she didn't bother me for no reason. She only intervened during garden and bath times, which she managed better than my mother, actually.

Lilia was not only hardworking and reliable but also the most level-headed person I had encountered in this house. It was clear my parents trusted her to let her live with us. Still, despite her role as a maid, I couldn't help but consider her a member of our family.

Lilia's matter aside, at the moment, I was being captured by my mother for God knows why.

Sometimes I wonder: Couldn't these guys just let me crawl, for the Lord's sake?

This might turn into a big problem—nah, the real problem was something else...

"You sure run fast for a toddler, huh, my sweet little Xeno~" Zenith teased with a happy smile before squeezing the heck out of me using those massive breasts of her.

Hey, lady, what in the world are you thinking? Are you trying to kill me here?

I would have asked her these questions, but it seemed too early for me to use my vocal cord in front of my family, so I let her do as she pleased. It wasn't like I could stop her in the first place. For once, she was my mother in this life, so it was also my duty to be a proper part of and respond to her motherly affections. And, it actually didn't feel so bad to be loved, after all.

Hah...

Let's hope it won't become a daily thing...

Right, I also came to know that my name was Xenos, which, according to me, was in the alright standard. Neither too flashy nor too lame...

Moreover, my appearance also bore a striking resemblance to hers. With blonde hair and blue eyes, I finally understood why she favoured me over that older brother of mine.

Well, it's not like I care...

On the other hand, although it had been over six months since I was reincarnated, I still had trouble understanding the native language. It was neither English nor Japanese that I knew from Earth, so this was plausible, I guess.

At the beginning, I couldn't understand a single word, as it was a completely new language for me. However, I had come to understand most of the words as of now. Long sentences and difficult-to-pronounce words were still a bit hard to comprehend, though. Nonetheless, making sense of simple or short sentences wasn't an issue anymore.

After moving around the house while holding me sweetly in a comfortable hug, she finally decided to let me go, "Ah, don't go over there, you'll get hurt, okay, sweety?" not before saying and directing her hand towards the hearth, the fireplace in the centre of the hall.

It was raised from the floor, which might explain why she wasn't overly concerned.

Turning my little head between my mother and the fireplace, I slowly nodded. In response, her eyes gleamed as she crouched down and showered my cheeks with motherly kisses.

"My, little Xeno is so smart~" In the end, she only stopped when my cheeks couldn't take her aggressive kisses anymore.

I must be looking like a tomato right now... Hah...

Zenith looked at me with a warm gaze and then started to pat my head. Her expression shifted from warmth to relief and then finally settled to extremely beautiful smile.

"I've to say you really surprised me, Xeno... Although you're born far weaker and easier than Rudy, I didn't think you'd actually learn to crawl earlier than him... And look at you now, even I find it hard to believe how much you've changed... Ah, mother did say children grow up fast, it seems to be true..."

Hmm, that's one hell of a way to say I'm a genius and more talented than that fatty... Well, I'll take that as a compliment...

Her hand gradually left my head, not before it slightly touched my cheeks.

"Sorry, sweet Xeno," she gently apologized, her voice carrying warmth. "Mother has to help make breakfast now. I hope Rudy starts crawling soon; then you won't have to play alone anymore." With those words, she rose and headed towards the kitchen.

Finally...

I'm not used to be being loved like this...

So all of this feels very weird and awkward. Not that I'm complaining, but I hope she won't drench my cheeks again... It's especially cold today for some reason.

Since winter had arrived a month earlier, the temperature was rapidly dropping from the start. However, it wasn't an issue for me, as a single monster's pelt was more than enough to regulate my body temperature.

I wonder how much this would have cost, or if they sewed it themselves.

Moving ahead with the support of my knees, I made my way toward the fireplace. Only when I was at the good location did I settle down. The heat from the fireplace warmed up my body in a few moments as I continued to stare at the burning red fire.

The hall of the house where I currently was had a combined kitchen and dining room. It was also the most spacious room in the house, connected to the entrance. The stairs leading to the above floor were also here. Overall, it was a very spacious and obvious place for a baby to play during the current weather.

Lilia and mother weren't far away as I could easily observe them making breakfast even from here. All of this would have been quite a problem if I hadn't learned the incantation of the healing spell Mother used on me the day after my birth.

Although, at that time, I didn't understand a single word that she chanted, I still did my best to remember the incantation.

I couldn't shoot Mana bullets since all the windows had been closed all day long for a month now, much less stepping outside.

However, as I had understood the oral language pretty much by then, I gradually started to use healing spells every now and then upon myself.

The incantation turned out to be rather funny:

Let the power of God be converted into a bountiful crop, and bestowed unto those who have lost the strength to stand once more, 『HEALING』

The first time I had to use the incantation, though it didn't sound like I intended it to be, thanks to my underdeveloped vocal cord. Hopefully, it worked.

Afterwards, I didn't need to read the incantation anymore.

After a day, I started multicasting from both my hands and legs, and eventually from all my fingers.

After a week, I had completely masterd the spell.

And now, after a month, I could cast multiple healing spells at the same time in succession.

It was a shocking sight, even for myself, seeing how much talented I had become, and also a bit frightening considering if there was a limit to what I could do.

Although I don't know who this Lloyd de Saloum is, but to have such a terrifying talent, he must be a broken monster...

Hah, let's not become conceited even if I'm blessed with such talent... Even a dragon's baby doesn't become all powerful after being born, it still needs his parents' protection and time to stand on its own.

After a not-so-troubling month, my mana exhausting process had finally started to halt. Even though I could cast healing spells for hours nonstop, my mana reserves had grown so vast once again that it was extremely hard for a mere healing spell to deplete them entirely and efficiently.

My toddler body had also proved to be a nuisance since I'd feel exhausted after casting the same spell for hours. That's why I had started to milk my mother dry whenever I could. This body had to develop faster or else I wouldn't be able to ascend the stairs with my pitiful strength in the coming weeks.

Fortunately, a few teeth had started to emerge last week, but it still wasn't enough to help me chew solid food.

There wasn't much of an option so I could only continue to cast the same spell for now. However, it was only a matter of time and I would be able to get my hands on free Magic, and my golden key to open the basic foundation behind Magic.

Rudues has also started to try crawling, but it seems he still have a long way to go... Perhaps a month or two... And he'll be able to do it by then.

After seeing his jealous face when I first started crawling, I didn't really care about hiding my talent anymore. It was normal for a baby to start crawling before the age of 1 in this world. Since I'd done it after a mere six months, my parents had started to see me in a new light. As for Rudues, who was supposed to be the older one, he was rather declared a normal child. Still, I couldn't care less. The only thing I had to do from now on was to understand the written language and how it worked. Only by doing so would I be able to read the Incantation.

It had also been a few weeks since my parents began reading the two fantasy novels to us, which I found somewhat interesting at first. Yet, it remained the same cliché content I'd read on Earth.

The Legend of Perugius, a fairytale about a summoner named Perugius and his companions, who battle a demon and save the world in a classic good-versus-evil epic.

The Three Swordsmen and the Labyrinth, a tale of action and adventure where three master swordsmen of different styles meet and head into the depths of the titular labyrinth.

Though boring and embarrassing to listen to, it still helped me catch enough words for now. To learn and comprehend even more words, I would force my mother to read it multiple times. As it was winter, there wasn't much work at the village's clinic. And even if someone needed her help, they had to come all the way here unless it was a serious condition. For this reason, my mother was mostly free during this time, which I took advantage of and made the most out of her availability.

As for those two fantasy stories, I didn't think much of them as they were related to the history of this world. There was also a possibility they were nothing but a sham; just the result of some random person's imagination. However, I highly doubted that since it wasn't my previous world.

And because of this, I'd finally made up my mind that I would also learn swordsmanship together with Magic. It should be worth a try as this body was brimming with exceptional talent.

Who knows, I might have more talent with the sword than with Magic.

Hmm, Paul has gone to exterminate the wolf monsters since early morning who were seen at the vicinity of the village...

He's good with swords so it won't be a big problem to learn the swordsmanship from him...

Right, for my future training to be more effective, I need to develop some muscles early on...

My mana control to digest the food may come in handy for this, after all.

Raising my hands toward the fireplace to properly warm them up, I sneaked in the direction of the kitchen to see if anyone was looking.

Finding Lilia and Zenith both busy making food, I dropped the act and circulated my mana at the fastest speed possible.

In the next instant, multiple green lights began to emit from all my fingers, even the ones on my feet. They were all the same spell that Mother had used on me. Since the spell consumed little mana, it was easy to guess that it was just a normal healing spell of the Beginner rank.

Hah, this will take even more time than yesterday... Going at this pace and procedure, I won't be able to empty my reserves in a month or so. If it comes to that, I guess I'll have no choice but to destroy the window and empty 90% of my reserves in a single Mana bullet.

I knew this day would come at some point but to think it would be this early.

I guess I really gave my all this past month, huh. Not a single day had I left my Mana reserves unfinished. In other words, my current situation could be said to be the result of my everyday hardwork.

Hmm, did I just praised myself? Well, whatever.

After pondering for some time, I stopped casting healing spells and silently dropped my hands. It seemed my mother and Lilia had left the kitchen.

"Milk time, Xeno~" A sweet voice reached my ears as I saw my Mother slightly removing her top and then that old-fashioned bra. Her breasts even larger than Lilia's manifested before my vision. They were the feast to the eyes, and perhaps among the best I'd experienced on Earth.

Although I couldn't eat solid food, it didn't mean my appetite had not increased over these past months. That aside, after experiencing how much I liked her milk, my mother would obviously make sure to fill my stomach at the appropriate times.

Holding me in her lap, she brought my face against her bosom.

Having seen them up close so many times, I was once again left shocked by their mere size. Even my six-month-old head could disappear between her deep ravine. One day, these secret weapons of her might proved to be my demise, for sure.

Well then, time to dig in...

...

Finally, after a month of gradual struggle, I had enough strength to climb the stairs myself.

Unfortunately, my mouth still had incomplete teeth even now. I wondered how long it would take for all of them to develop. In this world, where Mana flowed within every living creature, the maturation period had to be different from what I knew, so it shouldn't be long.

"Just one more, damn it," I murmured, my body only one step away from reaching the first floor.

Yes, I had started to talk. My vocal cord matured last week, which surprised me at first. I had been secretly trying my hardest to speak for months, and it seems that my efforts had finally paid off. Though I had no intention of revealing it to my parents.

And only after some effort did I make it to the first floor.

Well, it did take me more than 10 minutes...

Whatever...

The first floor had a total of four rooms, excluding Lilia's, which was attached in the middle of the stairs and therefore less spacious than the others. Among the four rooms, the first was shared by my parents and us, the second was a storeroom, and the remaining two were basically empty.

Storeroom, I guess...

Since there was no technology in this world, there was no concept of locks whatsoever. Every door had a knob that only worked to open and close it.

I assumed it was the same for the storeroom.

But why the fuck this shit isn't opening?

Even after pushing with all my strength, the door had not budged.

Are you kidding me?

Wait, is it jammed?

Then, that might work...

As I relaxed my shoulders, my index finger aimed directly at the door knob. Mana surged forth, coalescing into a small sphere. I compressed it gently, applying just enough force to push the door open without causing any damage. When I released the spell, it flew towards the knob, landed, and dispersed harmlessly on its surface.

*Creak*

It worked? Let's fucking go...