[Two Years Later]
Venya Village — a small settlement near the Star Ranch region's border, close to the Edrasian Ocean and surrounded by mountains.
It was one of the largest villages in the Star Ranch region, known for its wheat and spice production.
At a certain house in the village, a family lived peacefully.
A boy with golden hair and blue eyes was tending to flowers in the field.
"Brother!!" A little girl with golden hair and red eyes ran out of the house and hugged him tightly. "Brother, brother! Good morning!"
The boy was none other than me — Krish, now eight years old and a bit taller than before. I gently held her at arm's length.
"Good morning to you too, Saranya."
It was my two-year-old little sister, Saranya.
"Brother, I woke up early today!" she said proudly, waiting for a pat.
Finding her too cute to resist, I patted her head.
If she had a tail, it would be wagging right now.
Just then, the front door creaked open.
"Good morning!"
It was Aditya, the twin brother of Saranya — my youngest sibling.
Unlike the energetic Saranya, Aditya was quiet and timid.
He had both my father's and mother's eyes — one blue, one red — and inherited father's silver hair.
"I woke up earlier than you, Aditya!" Saranya said, sticking her nose up proudly.
"Ugh." Aditya scoffed but didn't deny it.
Every time I looked at those two, I couldn't help but find them adorable.
"Now, now, no fighting, both of you." I said, patting their heads.
"Yes…" they replied together.
From behind, a familiar deep voice spoke.
"I see you're all awake already."
"Papa!" Saranya ran toward Father and hugged him.
"Aww, who's my little angel?"
Father, Navir, lifted her easily, rubbing his cheek against hers.
"Kyaaa, Papa! Saranya woke up early today!"
"Is that so? Good job!" he said proudly.
---
[Krish's POV]
"You're back, Father! Were the monsters taken care of?" I asked, walking up with Aditya in my arms.
"Yes! Even though their numbers increased, they were all small fry to me!" Father boomed with laughter, still holding Saranya.
'Yeah right, Father… I think you're the strong one here, not the monsters being weak.'
My father used to be an M-rank adventurer before settling down in Venya Village with my mother.
A few minutes later, the morning sunlight spilled through the window, lighting up our small wooden dining table.
Saranya sat swinging her legs, staring at Father with bright, determined eyes.
"Papa! I want to learn sword!"
Father blinked mid-bite. "Sword? That's sudden, little angel. Why's that?"
"Because brother practices sword sometimes! And I want to fight mawnsters too!" she puffed her chest proudly. "I'm strong! I can lift Aditya!"
"Hey!" Aditya protested, cheeks red. "Stop saying that like it's a good thing!"
I chuckled, brushing Saranya's hair. "You did let her though."
Aditya crossed his arms and sighed. "I'm not really into swords anyway…"
"Boo! What a bummer!" Saranya teased, pouting.
"Huh? You'd look like a monkey holding a blade!" Aditya shot back, making her fume.
I quickly stepped in and held both their heads. "Yes, yes… no fighting."
Father laughed heartily. "Sword is dangerous, so you have to wait until you grow up."
'Until you grow up, my ass. You just don't want to see your precious daughter get hurt.'
Aditya must've shared the same thought, judging by how aggressively he chewed his food, jealousy flashing in his eyes.
Saranya noticed and stuck her tongue out. "Bleh!"
"Hmph." Aditya scoffed, taking another bite of his chapati and looking away.
Yes, Cindra followed Indian cuisine. Since my father's from India, I was used to this kind of breakfast.
Back in my previous life, I barely had time to eat like this — but now? I can finally enjoy it.
'Well, better help myself now.'
I thought as I began eating my breakfast too.
Saranya, still sitting on Father's lap, grabbed his hand. "Then Saranya will grow faster!" she said and began eating quickly.
Seeing that scene, my mother could only smile at the cuteness before her.
After breakfast, Father dropped a surprise.
"Ah, Krish — your tutor will arrive soon."
I tilted my head. "That so?"
"Yeah," he said with a grin.
"Can't wait," I replied, smiling.
---
Two days later…
I was inside the domain of my Ethergat skill, crafting something.
To be exact — a soap.
I got the materials using Jeff's Terrain Analysis skill — it detects where specific resources are located.
"Finally done."
The prototype was complete.
But soap wasn't the only thing I made. I also crafted a rice comb to help villagers harvest wheat more easily — a simple wooden tool inspired by Earth's old design. It helped separate grass and grain efficiently called as 'senba koki' in japan
It was surprisingly easy to make with magic, and farmers loved it.
I earned quite a bit — about 50 silver, roughly a hundred dollars.
I decided to keep it secret, but Mira somehow found out.
She didn't get angry — she praised me instead, calling me a genius.
Father, however, was more worried about how I found the materials.
I just said they were from the storage.
Now, here I was again, making soap — because one thing that still bothered me in this world was hygiene.
The soaps here were rough, and using them often irritated the skin.
Once done, I used [Warp] to open a connection between my domain and the place near the Great Tree — the spot where Elvie and I usually met.
A portal appeared as a mist.
I stepped through it and arrived at the familiar clearing.
There, I spotted Elvie — now seven — peeking from behind a bush.
I sneaked up behind her.
"Pikaboo!"
"Eek!" she yelped. "Krish!? Geez, don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry, sorry. Anyway, this is for you," I said, handing her a small wrapped item. "Use it while bathing."
"For me?" she blinked, taking it.
"Anyone else here?" I asked teasingly.
"No… Thanks! I guess," she murmured, her cheeks slightly red.
"So, what are you doing hiding like that?" I asked.
"Ah!" she exclaimed, signaling me to look. "Over there!"
Following her gaze, I saw someone resting at the base of the tree.
A woman — no, she looked young, maybe our age — with long blue hair and… horns. Crimson, crown-shaped horns.
My eyes widened.
Anyone from Japan would recognize what she was.
An Oni.
"Jeff, Appraise."
[{●~●} Understood. Commencing Appraisal.]
---¤Appraisal¤---
Name: No Data
Age: (30+)
Race: Royal Oni
MP: ERROR
Trance: 12000 / 12000
Status: ERROR
------
"She's been there for hours," Elvie whispered. "What should we—?"
But when she turned to me, she froze — I was sweating, eyes wide in disbelief.
Jeff's appraisal had failed.
That had never happened before.
Even though demons weren't inherently evil in this world, I couldn't shake off this overwhelming pressure — that instinctive feeling of inferiority.
Before I could react, the spot where she sat was suddenly empty.
I looked left and right. "Huh—?"
"Oh, looking for me, kids?"
A voice — calm, teasing — came from behind.
We spun around and froze.
She stood there, crimson eyes glowing with dominance, her blue hair fluttering, her horns glinting like a crown.
She smiled with royal confidence.
"How rude of me," she said smoothly. "My name is Kanessa. May I ask what yours are?"
---
[End of Chapter 16]
Have a nice day! :)