Snow – Part 2Lute-kun had sold the rights to reversi and other toys to Malton-san the merchant and was in a daze, having bought some magic device called “magic liquid metal” from him.
Magic liquid metal――We had been taught in our lessons that it was an item gained after defeating monsters called metal slimes.
Magic liquid metal is metal with a trace of magic power, and it had the properties of taking shape of the image when touching it while imagining armor in one’s head.
On top of having limited use and being hard to handle, it seems it was expensive for being a magic device.
It was something synonymous with the term “unpopular item”.
He bought that kind of thing for a lot of money.
The world’s opinion of Lute-kun further fell――from “strange kid” to “creepy kid”.
Not even noticing that people around him were taking their distance, he gleefully took the magic liquid metal and continuously experimented, saying “not like this”, “not like that”.
Unskillful but intelligent, full of curiosity, and having lots of energy he put whatever interests him into practice. He was just as I previously thought.
I don’t understand what he’s doing, but…… I thought, “As his only childhood friend, I should look after him”.
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Lute-kun and I, age 6.
This year I came to somewhat understand what Lute-kun was making.
I saw him making something that looks like a “metal tube with a handle?”, and when I asked him about it, he cheerfully explained.
Lute-kun says that it’s a magic device called a “gun”.
He had gone and developed his own original magic device!
Of course, I was amazed, and my head became dizzy.
Certainly, Lute-kun did make toys that everyone enjoys.
But toys and magic devices are two entirely different things.
Even if they made a house out of toy blocks, there is no one that would think that they made a real castle all by themselves.
To make an original magic device, he would need high-grade materials, magic knowledge, lots of money, and plenty of time.
There are lots of stories of magicians destroying themselves, and countries depleting their treasuries in order to develop a magic device, and yet…
Lute-kun who was smarter than me should have known this.
People’s opinion of him changed from “creepy kid” to “pitiful kid who does not have talent for magic but could not face the reality”.
Lute-kun himself was puzzled that “recently, the aunties helping out at the orphanage had been strangely kind, giving me sweets and all”, he didn’t notice at all.
Thickheaded as always, he continued on with the development of magic devices without noticing his surroundings.
The part when the “gun” that Lute-kun made caused a problem, was at the beginning of summer.
Early Summer.
The day when the sun’s rays start becoming harsh.
I was weak against the hot sun because of my racial traits.
I was idling away in the afternoon in the shade of the girls’ room after having finished all my work.
The other girls were playing reversi or having a chat…….
It was a sight I was so used to seeing.
I was falling into a doze, and started to close my eyes.
KABOOOM!
Just when I was going to fall asleep, I heard a sound like a bolt of thunder.
The sleepiness vanished as if it had been a lie.
“Wha, what was that loud noise just now! Hii……!?”
And then, Elle-sensei’s shriek.
All of us heard the sound and ran to the backyard, Elle-sensei rushed over to the crouching Lute-kun.
「……ッ!?」
“……gu!?”
We all gasped.
Lute-kun was holding his hand in pain, but there was a smile on his face.
It was a very mismatched scene, with blood all over his face.
The kids who were weak of heart started crying, even fainting on the spot.
The wreck of the magic device that was the source of the sound was still emitting a faint smoke.
“Everyone, don’t come! The older kids please take the young ones inside!”
Sensei had noticed us, and gave out her instructions.
Everyone immediately obeyed, and the older kids took the younger ones back inside the orphanage.
I wanted to stay there because I was worried for Lute-kun, but an older girl forcibly took my hand and led me back inside.
That night.
There was a little bit of time before bed, the topic of discussion in the girls’ room was all about Lute-kun.
It seems that the cause of the incident was magic power running amok in the middle of magic device development.
Lute-kun’s injuries were no problem thanks to Elle-sensei’s healing magic.
And as punishment for the uproar this time, he was sentenced to a 30 day ban on experiments and doing punishment work.
Ignoring what the other girls say, I recalled the words Sensei once said.
“There are those who still spend great effort even though they understand that they have no talent as magicians. Especially boys, among them there are those who do not accept reality, and get their hands on dangerous magic devices, then lose their lives”
Maybe Lute-kun is one of those people.
If that’s the case, then as a childhood friend, I had to put him back on the right path!
With the misdirected worry “for Lute-kun’s sake!”, I vowed to make Lute-kun into a good and honest person.
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Lute-kun and I, age 7.
The hot summer had passed, it’s the beginning of fall.
Ever since I turned 7, I had been joining the magician’s basic classes that Elle-sensei opens in the afternoons.
At the beginning, rather than magic practice, it was harsh weight training, running to build up strength, hand-to-hand fighting, and swordplay.
But after half a year had passed, we got used to it and became able to handle it easily.
Today after lunch, we gather in the backyard of the orphanage to move our bodies.
The ones taking the class were 2 first years, 1 second year, and me as the only half-year, for a total of 4.
All are girls, they received sensei’s lessons happily.
One day before the beginning of class, I looked outside the window.
I noticed a person who carried luggage come out of the backyard.
“Lute-kun!”
When I called out to him and waved my hand he stopped.
Lute-kun was wearing a hard leather belt with the magic device he made himself, hanging from its right hand side.
In his hands he holds a little barrel and on top of it is a box made of metal.
When the children of the orphanage become 7 they leave for the city to do simple work.
One part of that money goes to the orphanage and the remaining will be put aside for the future.
Originally, Lute-kun was also supposed to go out to work nowadays, but he alone was stopped from working by Elle-sensei.
When Lute-kun was 5 years old, he had sold the rights to “reversi” and other toys and gained a considerable sum of money and donated it to the orphanage.
The reason Lute-kun was prohibited from working was because if he earns any more money the other kids are going to lose their motivation.
So in the mornings he would help Elle-sensei with classes, and in the afternoons he would do experiments with that dangerous magic device by the river.
I reflexively scowled at the magic device hanging from his waist.
“Lute-kun is going to experiment on magic devices again today?”
“Experiments were mostly finished back in summer. Now it’s mostly practice.”
Ever since the magic device explosion incident, I had been coming over to him to say that I wanted him to stop with the magic device experiments, but he evaded the issue and continued.
I had thought of throwing away his magic device without him noticing several times, but….
I didn’t do it because there is an orphanage rule saying “Other people’s belongings are not to be tampered with or thrown away”.
I was so worried about him, but he just laughed nonchalantly…
“If you like, I can let you touch it. If you try shooting it you will definitely appreciate this magic device’s awesomeness.”
“It’s fine. I don’t want to touch such a dangerous toy. Lute-kun also, stop carelessly making strange toys.”
“It’s okay already, that blunder won’t happen again. I’ve made it nice and safe, see.”
…. without understanding people’s feelings….
“Anyway, be careful okay. I’m fine since I have sensei next to me, but Lute-kun doesn’t. Don’t do anything reckless.”
“Yeah yeah, I get it. Well then, Snow too, do your best in class”
With just the right timing, Sensei showed up and called out to everyone.
“Well then everyone, let’s begin magician’s basic lessons”
“See you later, Lute-kun. Take care.”
“See you later.”
Once again Lute-kun walked towards the riverside.
I saw him off, looking at his back with an uneasy expression.
But my worries and Lute-kun’s bad reputation were completely changed when he solved an incident.
That incident was……
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Afternoon of that day, evening.
Because preparations for dinner were finished I went to call Lute-kun.
He was at the so called test firing range, after leaving the backyard of the orphanage and walking 10 minutes along the riverbed you would locate that spot 100m downstream.
At the riverbed were several children of the town playing in the water.
“Its already late, you should soon go home.”
“Yeah!”
They answered energetically but the children showed no signs of going home.
After calling out to Lute-kun I decided in my heart that I would speak to him again.
“Lute-kun!”
I called out to him as he was just tidying up and waved my hand.
He raised his hand with a smile and returned to tidying up.
So that he doesn’t let me wait he moves his hand faster than previously.
“Kyaaa!”
“!?”
I was surprised at the scream from behind me and looked back, the children who played at the riverbed started running away immediately.
On the other side of the river goblins were overflowing out of the forest entrance like an avalanche!
15 of them.
That’s! I have never heard about goblins in the forest!
But the reality was bef