My name was Alfred.
Alfred Machio.
I was one of the sons of the Village Head of the Great Tree.
Since I was the firstborn, my mothers often told me that I should succeed my father and become the next Village Head. Consequently, I spent my days studying and working hard toward that goal. However, if I were being honest, I harbored doubts about whether I was truly up to the task.
Why? Because I didn't think I could ever hope to replicate what my father did.
Plowing an enormous field in a single day, creating exquisite crafts, defeating a Grappler Bear with a single blow, leveling a distant castle with a spear throw, or even calming Mother Lu when she was in a temper—I simply couldn't imagine myself doing any of those things.
The only areas where I felt I could even begin to mimic him were in caring for animals and mediating squabbles between Kuro's Children. Even then, I wasn't nearly as good as he was; sadly, I was a step behind.
If there was one thing I believed I could actually beat my father at, it was fishing. I was certain that I was more skilled than he was in that regard. But I didn't think one could claim the title of Village Head based solely on fishing talent.
Father told me that there was no need to force myself to succeed him. At first, I thought he had given up on me, but I was wrong. He explained that the world was full of different occupations and that I should explore them first to find what I truly wanted to do.
I was only ten years old. Apparently, it was still too early for me to decide that "Village Head" was my definitive career. Father laughed and said that if I looked at all the different jobs out there, gave it some serious thought, and still wanted to be the Village Head, he would support me. He also added that I didn't have to copy his style to lead the village. He told me that for every hundred people in the world, there were a hundred different ways to be a leader.
His words gave me a great deal of courage. I still didn't know if I would eventually become the Village Head, but I intended to give it my all.
Currently, I was attending the Demon Kingdom Academy. Father wanted the children of the village to see the world beyond our borders and learn from it. For my part, I viewed this as an excellent opportunity to see those various occupations he had mentioned.
My companions included Big Sister Urza, my younger sister Tiselle, Soil Doll Earth, Asa—who had been managing the Hot Spring Area Teleportation Gate in Village Four until recently—and Mettora of the Post-Age of Gods Dragon Race.
Big Sister Urza and Tiselle attended the academy to study alongside me. Earth, Asa, and Mettora were supposed to support our daily lives, but in practice, only Mettora stayed by our side. She managed the needs of the three of us all by herself. I tried to do things on my own to lighten her load, but she would get such a lonely look on her face that I eventually gave up and left everything to her. I was perfectly capable of dressing myself, at least, but I didn't have the heart to tell her.
Our academy life had been largely free of major problems, mainly because Big Brother Gol—or rather, Instructor Gol—and his group had made thorough preparations before our arrival. I got along quite well with the students who took his classes.
Admittedly, at the welcome party on the first day, I ended up giving away all thirty loaves of the long-lasting stollen I had brought from the village. I had planned to savor them bit by bit, so it was a bit of a disappointment. I’d have to contact Father and ask him to send more.
Big Sister Urza was doing fine. She was thoroughly enjoying her academy life, leisurely making new friends.
Tiselle, on the other hand, seemed a bit dissatisfied. Apparently, she had been looking forward to the political faction struggles within the academy. However, the group consisting of students who took Instructor Gol’s classes was already the Largest Faction in the school. Since we were integrated into that faction the moment we enrolled, there was no need for us to fight for influence. Moreover, we weren't just members; we were placed near the top. This lack of conflict was exactly what she found so boring.
I wondered if she really wanted to be embroiled in factional wars that much.
The Second Faction did eventually pick a fight with Big Sister Urza, but it didn't even qualify as a contest. It was a disaster before the match even started. Tiselle was further annoyed that she didn't get a chance to do anything, though her mood had improved lately. It seemed she had made an acquaintance who was a merchant. They weren't a student at the academy, but seeing Tiselle in a good mood made me happy regardless.
I thought today would be another peaceful day, but a problem arose.
The Second Faction, undeterred by their previous failure, returned to pick a fight with a "helper" in tow. Tiselle happened to be away at the time. She was truly unlucky—or perhaps I was the unlucky one.
The helper from the Second Faction, for reasons I couldn't fathom, challenged Big Sister Urza to a duel. Urza’s eyes began to sparkle with excitement. I had to tell her she couldn't just jump in. It was true that we were the ones being challenged, but we needed to negotiate the terms properly. You can't just accept any reckless challenge that comes your way; I knew that much.
I took it upon myself to handle the tedious negotiations.
"I’m requesting a handicap to ensure a fair match!" I announced.
The opponent replied that they were more than willing to accommodate. That was a relief; now I could ensure no one ended up dead.
For the time being, I bound Big Sister Urza in chains. She was ambidextrous but favored her right hand, so I made sure to secure that arm specifically. I told her she would have to use her left hand. Then, I decided the sword was too dangerous and replaced it with a wooden stick. I also figured she needed weights for her feet, so I tied her legs together and tethered her to a large boulder.
As I surveyed the bound and restricted Big Sister Urza, Uncle Gratz suddenly appeared at my side.
"It's not enough," he said.
By "not enough," he meant my attempts to seal her power. But I didn't see what else I could possibly do.
"Instead of just weakening Urza, let’s focus on buffing her opponent," Uncle Gratz suggested. He proceeded to outfit the challenger with high-end military equipment. It was such heavy armor that I doubted the man could even move. Then, he began further enhancing the man with magic.
While I watched this with fascination, Uncle Gratz eventually turned back to me with a troubled expression.
"That man... he can't control his own body now that it's been magically enhanced. He needs time to adjust. Could we perhaps postpone the match for about six months?"
"We’re the ones who were challenged, though..." I pointed out.
"I see your point. But if we keep the power within a range he can actually control... he'll only be about twice as strong as a normal person. That won't be nearly enough."
As Uncle Gratz and I were agonizing over the balance, Uncle Beezel arrived.
"This should solve the problem," he said.
He took the wooden stick from Big Sister Urza and handed her a single piece of straw instead.
"Any attack using anything other than this straw will result in an immediate disqualification," he declared.
I was impressed. I hadn't even considered that she might try to attack with her hair or her clothing. As expected of Uncle Beezel.
With those conditions set, preparations were finally complete. But just as I thought the match would begin, the challenger broke down in tears. I wasn't sure what was wrong. He started rambling about his pride, which was a bit of a problem for us. We were doing everything in our power just to make sure he survived the encounter. Even with all those restrictions, Big Sister Urza would probably still win.
What would her winning move be? I imagined her thrusting that straw right up his nostril. I wanted to believe she would at least avoid aiming for the eyes.
Maybe I should have blindfolded her too?
Regardless, the match was called off. I was relieved, but Big Sister Urza was in a foul mood because she didn't get to fight. Furthermore, my reputation suffered because I was the one who had tied her up in the first place. It was quite an ordeal.
A few days later, the real reason the Second Faction had picked the fight came to light. Apparently, they just really wanted to eat some stollen.
So, without waiting for Father to send a new shipment, we all got together and baked some ourselves. The taste was only mediocre, but it was a lot of fun. Following that event, the Largest Faction officially absorbed the Second Faction.
The academy was at peace once again.