Chapter 4: Three Years (I)

A boy with green eyes and black hair ran on the courtyard of a small house. He looked barely older than a toddler, but he could run in a controlled manner without swaying to the sides.

"Mira, it's time to prepare dinner!"

"Got it!"

Mirage has already been reincarnated for three years, and now could walk and talk properly without any issue. This also provided him with more freedom, since he didn't have to make others carry him anymore.

'It has already been a year and half since Lain started working as a full time guard. He moved to the village to live there, and only comes back once a month. Today is the day he is visiting, so I hope he brings some tasty food...'

'We have been eating nothing but eggs, yogurt and vegetables... it is a healthy diet but I do miss the taste of meat. Some wood coal roasted fish would be godsend.'

While he was thinking about the delicacies from his past life, a small figure coming from the forest dashed into him.

*Oompf*

This figure was a small elf girl with short brown hair and brown eyes. She was taller than Mira, but not too much. Petra had been taking her, Betty to gather vegetables together in the woods close by, acting as teacher when it comes to elven culture.

"Mira! We found the yummy brown balls!"

"Brown balls? Oh, yeah mean potatoes."

"Yeah, potions! I reawly like them! Sister Petra said she likes them too!"

'Yeah no wonder, potatoes are the food of God in this world.'

"Is Petra not here?"

"She is! She is right behind me. Wait? She isn't there! Sister Petra got lost!"

"..."

'I think it is just that you ran ahead left her behind...'

Achlys also came out of the orphanage to greet the returning Betty and Petra. She was wearing a white apron on a black dress the same color as her hair. She gave a hug to the little Betty, and helped carry some of the vegetables that Petra, who had just exited from the woods was holding.

"Betty, Petra welcome home! Thanks for your hard work as always. We always get to eat tasty vegetables thanks to you."

"Hehe, I bring yummy food."

Betty, along with Petra and Achlys walked into the orphanage. Mira followed after them not too later.

"How was your harvest Sister?"

"You keep using such advanced words for your age... well, Betty and I were able to find a few stalks of vegetables suitable for grilling, and some potatoes of course. It is good that there are no monsters in this forest. What did you do today, making mini figures by carving wood again? I really can't understand how you are so skilled already... I couldn't even hold a spoon properly in your age."

"Yeah, I made two more carvings today. Do you think they will sell in the village?"

"I'm sure they will. They aren't really high quality, but children seem to like them? Did you say they were called dinosaurs? They look really similar to dragons from past legends are described."

"That's good. I was worried that nobody would want them and that they would go to waste. It's fine if other kids like playing with them."

"Mhm. Lain is also coming back today, you can ask him about it too."

The four helped set up the table, though Betty wasn't really helping much. Not long after the food was prepared the door opened and a long eared young man in leather armor walked in.

"Hello everyone! I am back and brought some bread from the bakery! The white and soft kind, the type little Betty likes."

This was Lain, now nearing the age of eighteen. He had already been serving as a guard for some time now, and had a rather strong physique even for an elf.

"Uwaa! Potoes and bread? We eating super yummy food today!"

"Hahaha, at least tell me welcome back before worrying about the food. Jeez, you are such a glutton. Look at Mira, he isn't even bothered about the food. Though that's concerning on its own..."

"Welcome back Lain."

"Hey! You call Petra "Sister", but don't call me brother? I know I only visit once a while but I helped change your diapers when you were a baby too!"

"Lain... brother, please don't mention those."

"Hahaha, at least you get embarrassed like normal, otherwise I would have thought you to have some kind of illness."

Petra gave a smack to Lain's head on the back. Though she was shorter than him, she could still reach that height without much effort.

"Lain! Don't talk like that with children, you are being a bad influence."

"Ouch. I got it, I got it. But it is Mira we are talking about, right? Mrs. Helena and Mr. Derick weren't nearly as smart as him, so I wonder how he turned out this way. Surely it's not due to the genetics, but it shouldn't be due to the influence of Lady Achlys either. I mean we were all practically raised by her and look at the difference..."

"Ahh, you talk too much. I already told you not to mention them in front of him, yet you still can't hold back."

"It's okay Sister Petra, I already heard about them too many times by now. But I have never even seen them after all, so there is no problem talking about them. I am sure they wouldn't want to be forgotten either, so I would be thankful if you could tell me what kind of people they used to be sometime."

*cough*

"Dinner is ready everyone, let's all sit down and start eating before it gets cold. Mira, I will be the one to tell you about your parents one day, but please give me some time okay? For now, let's talk about other things."

"Okay Ms. Achlys."

"...I wish you called me "mama" like Betty does, or at least "mom". I am practically your foster mother after all."

Achlys said so as she helped seat the sour faced Mirage onto the chair. She didn't know, but the reason why Mirage refused to refer to her as his mother was due to the unhappy events that happened in his last life regarding his mother from that life.

Everyone sat down next to the small and round table, and started eating while happily talking with each other.