A Little Slice of Everyday Life

Though there was some lingering uncertainty about the output, I decided to call it a day since the target rocks weren't being pierced.

On my way home, listening to the chirping of insects, I thought how fortunate it was that it wasn't snowing season. The battlefield in winter was hellish—poor visibility if it was snowing, slippery and freezing conditions if it had stopped. Plus, the cold would restrict movement. Well, in that case, the knight squad would likely have intervened in time. There was no use worrying about "what ifs," I smiled bitterly.

Upon arriving home, opening the door, and stepping inside, I was enveloped by warm air. It wasn't cold for early autumn, but perhaps from the sweat cooling my body, my stiff muscles and mind began to slowly relax.

"Back already," I called out as I entered the living space. It was late, so I hoped she was already asleep. Inside, Riza was alone in a chair, fast asleep. She must have waited too long and fallen asleep. Her innocent sleeping face was irresistibly cute. I knelt down, gently pressed my lips to her cheek, then headed to the kitchen.

In the corner of the kitchen, there was some firewood left for today's use. It seemed someone had thoughtfully left it for me in case I wanted to boil water. Grateful, I bowed my head and prepared a pot. I gathered wheat straw and small branches for kindling, lit a lighter, and set the dry wheat straw ablaze. As the flames grew and began to spread to the firewood, I headed back to Riza's side. It would take time for the water to boil.

First, I needed to move Riza to bed before she caught a cold.

"Riza, Riza. Wake up, Riza," I gently shook her while speaking softly.

"Mmm... Muu..." came an incoherent response.

"Wake up, Riza. You'll catch a cold." I shook her slightly harder.

"Aaah... Mmm..." She was still drowsy, but I slipped my arm under her and helped her stand. Half-asleep, she followed me to the bedroom, where I gently laid her down on the bed. Princess carry? Only when she's awake. When she's asleep, it's a bit more relaxed. Still, doing this every time would strain my back.

Looking at her sleeping face, it was hard to believe she was a warrior. Her innocent appearance was endearing. On a whim, I pinched her cheek—it was incredibly soft, almost like marshmallow but with a different kind of suppleness. I refrained from further mischief and returned to the kitchen. It wouldn't do to leave the fire unattended.

The firewood had just started burning, so the heat hadn't spread evenly yet. I watched the flickering flames. Ah, such a shape of fire was rarely seen in Japan. It reminded me of an architecture firm's office in a rural area. The place had elegant interiors and a wood stove. Despite the harsh winter cold there, the soft warmth from the wood stove lingered in my memory. Fire really does soothe when viewed up close. I sighed and checked the water temperature—it was still warming up.

Thinking back to the chaos since arriving here, I wondered if it was nice to have such moments. I gazed at the flames.

Once the water had boiled sufficiently, I adjusted its temperature with cold water and poured it into a basin. There was still some firewood left, so I tidied up and prepared what was needed for tomorrow's breakfast. It wasn't ideal to be bothered by such tasks every day.

Managing fires was something I hadn't done in Japan, so I had to thoroughly learn from Teisha. How to light a fire, extinguish it, confirm if it was out, and how to store wood for the next use. For camping or barbecues back home, we'd use fire starters and put out the fire with water, but things were different here. There was practical wisdom in daily life.

As I thought about these things, I carried the basin into the room.

I returned to bathe. It felt natural, almost Japanese, to want a hot bath. If only there were an onsen (hot springs) around... I hadn't heard any rumors of one in the village. Plus, I didn't know how to detect one.

As for water magic, creating enough hot water for a full tub was impossible. While learning wind magic alongside it, I experimented with various methods. Or rather, my skill level increased naturally as I used it during measurements. Each time, I adjusted the conditions accordingly.

Regarding temperature, raising it was easy, but lowering it was difficult. Given the current early autumn coolness, the temperature was around 15 degrees. Using that as a baseline, I could now create about half a basin of water at around 40 degrees. However, cooling it below 10 degrees was challenging—it would feel cold to the touch.

Well, it's understandable that there's a wider range for higher temperatures. Still, the lack of clear benchmarks was frustrating. I had heard that one could use teleportation once they were fully skilled, but that seemed far off. Until my skill level reached 1.00, I'd focus on other things.

Incidentally, after a long day, I didn't want to use magic to make hot water—it was easier to just boil it over the fire. Sorry, but I couldn't help it, I muttered to myself.

Still, this water magic could be useful for improving living conditions while camping. It would also be helpful for boiling drinking water and bathing when firewood wasn't readily available. As a girl, she'd want to stay clean, right? Carrying a small pot for cooking was already planned, so it might come in handy.

Using the leftover bathwater, I did laundry. Since there were no spare clothes, I washed them every day. I wanted to go shopping but didn't have the time. After rinsing and wringing out the fabric without damaging it, I took the laundry and the basin outside to hang them on the drying rack. Once done, I went to the well to fetch more water and refilled the basin.

With all daily tasks completed, it was time for bed.

Looking at Riza's face in bed, I thought about the battle two days away. Various worries bubbled up. No matter how much you try to stay calm, doubts won't disappear. I suppressed those feelings and closed my eyes.

Do what I can do. Think about what I can't do when the time comes. Keep thinking—just doing that would move me forward minimally. Maybe there were other things I could have done or should have done. But for now, I had done everything I knew to do.

Closing my eyes with effort, I waited for sleep to come.

Beside me was her precious warmth.

As I drifted off, a thought crossed my mind—perhaps the cricket's chirping had grown louder? Maybe winter was approaching... With that vague thought, I fell asleep.