An A-Ranked Adventurer's 'Slow-living'

Chapter 76: Playing with Balls of Water

「Acckk-! Come on, get away from me you brats!」

「Let’s go play, Toack!」

「Come on, Toack!」

While Kurune and I were on our way to the field of flowers, Toack came out of a villager’s house with kids all over him.

Judging from the towel that was wrapped around his head and the tools he was carrying, I would say that he was probably in the middle of work. It looks like he came to that house to fix something or to take a look at something before making a piece of furniture, but then the villager’s children wanted him to play with them so he was having a hard time getting his work done.

It’s probably something like that.

「Ahaha, they are so lively. I wonder if they are siblings?」

「……Yeah, probably, I think」

While I was having such a conversation with Kurune as we walked on the road, Toack seemed to have heard us with his sharp ears.

「Ah! Look! There’s the rumored wizard!」

Like that, he pointed over at me and Kurune.

Toack, you bastard. He wants to use this opportunity to push the kids onto us.

「Really?!」

「Eh?! Her? That’s the wizard that my mother was talking about when she said that a wizard came to this village?」

「That onee-chan is a wizard?」

Then, the kids who were all over Toack’s arms and legs looked towards Kurune at the same time.

「……Hehh? What?」

Despite Kurune’s confusion, Toack pointed at her and raised his voice like a commander.

「It’s the wizard! Get herrr!」

「「Wahhhhhhh!」」

The children ran up to us following Toack’s order.

What the children wanted was to meet the rare wizard. They weren’t just listening to Toack’s order.

Therefore, I secretly started to sneak away from Kurune.

「Ah! Wait, why are you running away, Aldo?」

「That’s ‘cause I’m not a wizard. You wanted to teach the children of this village magic, right? Isn’t this the perfect chance to get to meet them?」

I slipped by the children who were running up to her as I made that remark.

They gathered under Kurune who was dressed in her usual wizard outfit and holding onto a staff.

「Onee-chan, are you really a wizard?」

「Show us some magic!」

「Show us, show us!」

「Ahh I guess it can’t be helped! Here, I’ll show you something! I’m going to cast a little bit of magic so give me some room!」

Kurune was surrounded by the children in an instant, but since we had traveled to countless villages back when we were adventurers, she was used to this kind of situation. She happily played along and started preparing to use a spell.

As I walked while looking at her, Toack opened his mouth as he sat in front of the villager’s house.

「So she’s the wizard adventurer companion from your adventurer days?」

「You already heard about her, huh? Word sure gets around quick」

Aisha had just brought Kurune to us yesterday. I didn’t think that word could get around so quickly when she paid her visit to Ergys-san’s home around the evening…

「It’s natural that everyone would be interested in her since she isn’t just an adventurer, but a wizard as well. Wizards almost never visit countryside villages like ours normally」

「Ahh, that’s true」

People who can use magic are usually nobles, and even in the case of them being commoners, they would all go to a city to look for work.

「「「Woahhhhh! Awesomeeeeee! 」」」

The children yelled out in excitement while I was talking to Toack.

When I looked in the direction their voices came from, I saw that Kurune was creating a ball of water as the children surrounded her.

「……Hohh? So she can really make water out of nothing」

Toack was surprised as well as he spoke in admiration while squinting to focus on the ball of water.

That’s because one will almost neverrr get to see magic in a countryside village. I’m sure that this is also his first time witnessing magic.

「It’s really water!」

「It’s so cold!」

「Can you drink this?」

The children poked at the ball of water that was floating in mid-air with a deep curiosity.

It’s a little funny that one of them had the same reaction as Aisha.

「Look, look, I can move it like this as well!」

Perhaps Kurune liked seeing how happy the children got, so she moved her staff to move the ball of water.

After seeing the waterball move freely around them, the children were overjoyed.

They ran after the flying ball of water to try to catch it, but then the ball suddenly turned towards them.

「Splash!」

「Ahhh?!」

With Kurune’s voice, the ball of water burst and got the children quite drenched.

「Ahahaha! That’s so fun! Do it again, Kurune!」

「The water is cold and it feels so good!」

Although we passed the hottest period of summer, it was still very hot in the middle of the day.

The children begged Kurune to use her magic again since they just want to be covered in water some more.

「Sure, I’ll make loads more come out!」

Since Kurune obviously understood what the children wanted, she made a large number of waterballs.

To be able to control ten balls of water that she created in one go…she wasn’t an a-ranked adventurer for nothing.

As always, she demonstrated her ability through doing silly things.

「Goooo!」

After Kurune raised her voice and waved her staff, the multiple balls of water started to chase after the children.

Since the children were having fun as they ran away, She sped up the waterballs and splashed them on their backs, soaking them in water.

「Ahahah! It’s a two-pronged attack!」

「…That female wizard…even against children she’s mercilessly using two-pronged attacks and feints…」

「Yeah, she’s a big child」

I replied to Toack with a bitter smile since I completely agree with what he said.

That being said, the children did not mind it and seemed very happy about being drenched in the cold water.

Kurune looked like she was having a lot of fun too as she used magic to play with the kids. She was making the balls of water fly with a lively expression on her face.

While thinking that this was such a peaceful scene as I gazed at her, our eyes met.

Then, Kurune grinned at me as if she thought of something fun.

「Stand up, Toack. We’re running away」

「Huh? Why?」

As Toack replied to me in a dumbfounded voice, Kurune had created dozens of balls of water around herself.

The children raised voices of admiration when they saw that she created so many balls of water.

「…Oi, she’s only going to aim for you with those, right?」

「…Think about what you did in the very beginning first」

「……」

After I said that, Toack got up in an instant and started running, and I ran in the opposite direction of him.

◆

「Bye, Kurune!」

「Let’s play again sometime!」

「We’ll all come when you start teaching a class!」

「Yeahh, I’ll be looking forward to it!」

The children walked away in cheerful voices with their clothes all wet.

Among them was Toack, who had gotten as wet as the children. He followed them with an unsatisfied look on his face.

After Kurune and I parted with Toack and the children, we continued to head for the field of flowers.

「I know why you did that to Toack but why me as well……?」

「I just did it because you were acting so unconcerned and carefree. Besides, the water feels really good in this weather anyway so why not!」

After she said that, Kurune patted me on my shoulder after I became soaked in water.

Maybe it’s due to my shirt sticking close to my skin since it’s wet, but I really felt the impact when she struck me.

So I became soaking wet just because she felt like it, huh?

In conclusion, Toack and I had both become total victims of her waterball attacks.

Putting Toack, who fell prey to her attacks in five seconds, aside… I could have dodged her attacks if there was more room. Since there is only one road between the farms and the villager’s house, how could someone dodge that many balls of water?

If I had somewhere to run to then sure, but it was impossible on a single open path after all.

「But still, I was surprised that you had fit in with the village properly. Toack-san, was it? You made a proper friend as well」

「Wait a second, Kurune. The way you said that makes it sound like I didn’t have any friends in the past」

「Can you say that you were friends with anyone other than your party members?」

Kuh! Now I suddenly can’t name Kiel or Elliot. Since party members are companions that you already entrust your life to, they don’t really count huh?

If I think about all the people I met in the royal capital…

「…Maybe the guild leader?」

「What’s his name?」

「……」

After Kurune saw me go silent, she said “See?!” and laughed.