Encountering Magic

Chapter 1

“Waah! Waah!” The cry of a newborn echoed through the mountains, shattering Vincent’s early morning slumber.

“Ugh,” he groaned. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he couldn’t shake off the poignant cry of fragile life that continued to echo in his ears. “Oh, Lord... What have I done wrong?”

Throwing off the blanket and stepping out of bed, the hunter’s muscles tensed in the darkness. Where could that crying be coming from at this hour?

Vincent glanced back at his sleeping wife, hoping she was lost in sweet dreams. Had she heard the noise, he was certain that it would bring on another wave of shame and embarrassment. He sighed to himself. Vincent and his wife had been married for seven years but had no children. Despite having already shelled out a fortune on specialists, the only response they received was an inability to pinpoint the cause.

“It’s just a matter of compatibility. That’s all. Since there seem to be no issues with you or Olina, all you can do is keep trying,” the doctor had said with a chuckle, and Vincent had also burst into laughter at first. However, as time passed, the situation did not improve.

By their fifth year of marriage, he had no choice but to admit that they couldn’t have a child. His wife, Olina, didn’t show any resentment, but when she occasionally wore a lonely expression, Vincent couldn’t help but feel that his “shortcomings” were to blame.

“Son of a b*tch! This is just making a bad situation even worse!” he muttered. Putting his complex emotions behind him, Vincent picked up the weathered ax within reach and walked out the door.

“Who’s there?! Who’s making such a racket at this hour?” His shout echoed through the mountains. There was no response, and silence hung in the air, making Vincent’s expression stiffen. Is someone setting a trap?

Most hunters built their homes in the mountains out of convenience. Come morning, they needed to check the traps that were set the night before, and sometimes, they spent days tracking large animals in the wilderness. Of course, ensuring their safety was their own responsibility, and this vulnerability made them the targets of cunning thieves. Though it could be a merchant from a distant town, no torches were visible in the middle of the night.

“You rotten bastard! I’ll chop you into pieces!”

In a worst-case scenario, there was no choice but to resort to violence. Moving slowly, he arrived at the stable where he heard the sound and quickly flung open the door. The hunter’s keen eyes scanned the interior, and in the darkness, he heard a horse neighing softly. Recognizing that animals held no secrets, Vincent’s impulsive emotions settled slightly. There’s nowhere to hide. Furthermore, there were no signs of intrusion.

“But what is that...?” he asked aloud. Vincent gazed at the neatly laid baby sling on the straw-covered floor. A baby, seemingly just a couple of months old, was wrinkling its little face and crying. Vincent hurriedly hid the ax behind his back. Then, when he knelt in front of the baby, he completely set aside the iron weapon and looked at the child intently.

He laid his eyes on the adorable baby as round as a full moon—a precious thing that knew nothing about the world but had begun his journey in it. The moment the baby looked at the face of an adult, it stopped crying and began smiling widely. Vincent’s eyes trembled. Then, as if struck by lightning, he lifted the baby and rushed out of the stable.

“Who’s there?! What kind of joke is this? Who could abandon a child like this? Damn scoundrel! Show yourself!” he yelled. The mountains echoed with a deep rumble.

“Come out! Are you really going to keep hiding? How could you abandon a child like this?! You’re truly wicked! Do you hear me?” Still, there was no answer.

“You have turned your back on this child! You’ve run out of chances! You better not show yourself before me! I’ll turn your face into paste if you do!” Vincent shouted with all his might, for he wished not to carry any lingering regrets when he reflected on this day in the distant future. Breathless from his cries, he huffed and puffed.

After gazing into the darkness for a moment, Vincent took a deep breath and re-entered the stable. The baby, worn out from crying, was now asleep. With trembling hands, he gently cupped the baby’s head against his chest.

“Ah...” Vincent sighed. He felt a heartbeat that raced much faster than any adult’s.

“Honey, what’s going on?” Olina asked after rushing over at the sound of his shouts. Instead of answering, Vincent showed her the sleeping baby in his arms, and she spoke again, “Who is this child?”

Vincent hesitated. He didn’t know how to explain. “It seems... like it’s our child now.”

***

It was early summer. The river water was cold, and the breeze was refreshing. With a dead hare draped over his broad shoulders, Vincent hastened his way home. More than the thrill of a successful hunt, the thought of returning home to see his waiting family filled him with even more joy.

“Sirone! I’m home!”

“Dad!”

A twelve-year-old boy rushed to the front door, his face beaming with a bright smile. Unlike the rugged Vincent, the boy’s face brought to mind a finely crafted gem. His hair sparkled like gold, and his eyes were a shining blue that could be seen from afar. Every time Vincent laid eyes on his son, who looked like a beautiful doll, he’d forget about his tired shoulders. As he tossed the hare to the ground, he buried his face in his son’s embrace.

“Yes, my son. My treasure. Have you been well?” he asked.

“Yes. I’ve been helping Mom with cooking and reading a lot of books,” Sirone beamed.

Cooking and reading—two things very distant to him. The words made him feel slightly concerned but he didn't show it.

“Do you like reading that much?”

“No, it’s just... There’s not much else to do.”

Every time he saw his son falter as if he had done something wrong, Vincent couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. In truth, he knew that this child, a miraculous gift from the heavens, was much smarter than his peers. He started with the characters he learned from his mother when he first began reading, but he had advanced to reading difficult books on his own.

That’s what makes it even more heartbreaking. Vincent thought to himself. To afford to educate a child as a hunter was no easy task. The only things he could teach were the hunting skills he had honed over a lifetime.

“An herbalist’s child becomes an herbalist, a hunter’s child becomes a hunter; it has always been the most stable way of life.”

No matter how humble the profession, it required knowledge and skills that couldn’t be passed down just by word of mouth. However, Vincent couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“No. You did well, Sirone. No matter what you do, you have to learn to succeed. When I go to the city this time, I’ll buy you some books.”

“It’s okay. I’ve read the books you’ve bought so far, but none of them piqued my interest.”

Vincent chuckled at his son’s pretense. Popular practical books were too expensive to afford, so the books he bought for his son were discarded books from nobles that made their way to the vintage shops and were sold at a bargain. He suspected that regardless of the content, the books were not at a level the child could digest. He’s a good kid. His nose twitched with appreciation for Sirone’s thoughtfulness toward his parents’ circumstances.

“Have it your way!” Vincent said. “By the way, how about joining me to chop some wood? Learning is important, but a well-rounded man needs strength. I’ll teach you how to fell trees today.”

“Wow! Are you going to give me an ax too?”

“Of course!” he chuckled. “Let’s cut down every tree on the mountain together!”

As if he had been waiting, Vincent gifted Sirone an ax. Compared to other household items, it was on the expensive side, but unlike books, an ax could earn them money.

One day... I’m sure he’ll grow up to live in the mountains. If that was to be his fate, it was important to start building up his frail body and stamina from now on. But what if… Doubts suddenly crept into Vincent’s mind. He has an air of elegance about him with a sharp mind to boot. Could he be a nobleman’s child? He shook his head.

Whenever such doubts arose, Vincent felt overwhelmed by the blessing of having him as a son, but at the same time, he was also tormented by guilt. It’s a pointless thought. Sirone is my child. Not a child found in a stable, but my own flesh and blood. With determination in his heart, Vincent headed toward the logging area, a kilometer away from the cabin.

“Okay, I’ll demonstrate. Watch carefully and try yourself.”

Spitting on his palm and gripping his ax, Vincent began to chop the wood vigorously, feeling a sense of relief. Not long after, a crisp sound echoed as the straight tree fell down with a swish. Though not particularly crucial, a lumberjack’s skill was also judged by the number of times they swung their ax. Vincent needed ten swings to down the tree, which was a remarkable feat considering he wasn’t a lumberjack

“If you keep hitting the same spot like this and then tilt the tree, it won’t be able to bear the weight and will fall over. Do you think you can do it?”

“Yes, I’ll give it a try,” Sirone answered.

As Vincent picked out a tree for him, he also spat on his hand, just like his dad had done. Despite having only seen it once, his stance, the position of the ax, and even the habit of rubbing his palms were all spot-on. Once again, Vincent couldn’t help but marvel at his son’s intelligence. However, when Sirone actually raised the axe high, his posture seemed somewhat sloppy.

It’s not something you can do with just intelligence. The weight of the ax was substantial, and to swing it with enough force to fell a tree, strength was essential. He should start building up his physical strength now. That way, he can get married and have children in the future. No woman would consider marrying a man who couldn’t earn a living.

“Argh!” Sirone clenched his teeth and swung the ax, but the point of impact varied each time.

Vincent offered some guidance. “You mustn’t exert all your strength. Try focusing on accuracy rather than using too much force.”

Sirone understood his dad’s advice. However, no matter how he struck with just the right amount of force, the tree showed no signs of breaking.

Has my son always been this weak? Vincent felt a bit disheartened.

“It’s not easy,” Sirone said, distraught.

“It’s okay. No, I’m sorry. To be honest, I’m aware that this kind of work doesn’t suit you. But being a hunter’s child, it’s inevitable...”

Vincent trailed off as he got choked up but continued.

“You’re truly a clever child, much smarter than Baron, the herbalist’s son, or Stella, the fruit vendor’s daughter. You don’t need to be disheartened by your lack of strength. I’m sorry for letting my ambitions weigh on you...”

Tears began to well up in Vincent’s eyes. However, Sirone, engrossed in his own thoughts, didn’t care about such things and asked, “More importantly, Dad, how can I learn to chop wood well?”

This left Vincent slightly flustered. It was a surprising question for a boy who seemed disinterested in chopping wood.

“Do you really want to learn this?”

“I do! Please teach me. It seems fun.”

Empowered by his son’s words, Vincent led Sirone and pointed to the notch in the wood.

“Here. Look at this notch. When you grow up, you’ll become strong naturally. But in reality, it doesn’t require a lot of strength. What’s important is technique. Earlier, I told you to strike in the same spot, but if you twist the angle just slightly, you’ll get much greater force.”

“Ah, I see.” Vincent finally examined the notch his son had created. This is... It was quite impressive. It was hard to believe that a beginner could accurately place the ax in the same spot. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to down the tree without using brute force.