Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

Since my father's car couldn't fit everyone, we headed to the swordsmith's workshop in Renji-san's vehicle. His car was a three-row, eight-seater, with him and my dad in the front, me in the middle row sandwiched between Nina-chan and Aya-chan, and Irena-san in the back row.

As we drove, we passed deeper and deeper into the mountains along a narrow, single-lane road, just wide enough for one vehicle. The road was blanketed with fallen leaves, likely from the low traffic in the area, obscuring the white lines and making it impossible to see the state of the surface beneath. Our tires pushed aside the fallen leaves as we progressed slowly.

What worried me most was the lack of guardrails along the cliff's edge. If Renji-san made even the slightest mistake with the wheel, our car would plunge right over the edge. Despite the nerve-wracking scene, Renji-san calmly navigated the sharp turns, appearing unfazed by the drop just inches away.

The road was empty, probably meaning oncoming traffic wasn't a concern, but I still found myself tensing with each twist and turn. I thought about summoning

Silveit

as a precaution in case we needed something to anchor the car. But when I moved my right hand, Nina-chan squeezed it tightly.

"…Itsuki, please don't move," she whispered.

"Sorry," I murmured back, and just as I spoke, the car jolted from hitting a bump. This time, I tried using my left hand to weave the silk, but as soon as I lifted my fingers, Aya-chan reached over and touched them.

"Are you okay, Itsuki-kun?"

"Y-yeah, nothing's wrong," I replied, realizing that with both Nina-chan and Aya-chan holding my hands, I couldn't do anything.

Seriously?

Oblivious to my situation, Renji-san spoke up from the driver's seat.

"It's been a while since I came up here, but this road hasn't changed. Still as wild as ever," he mused.

"Looks like we'd be out of luck here if it snowed," my father replied with a sigh.

Apparently, Gifu was a place that often saw snow, and the thought of navigating this path under such conditions made me shiver. Minutes passed, and the path only became steeper and more challenging, with a faint milky mist beginning to settle in around us.

I leaned forward, straining to see through the increasingly thick fog. "Uh, Renji-san, are you sure we're okay to keep driving?"

"Hm? Yeah, we're almost to the end of the driving section," he said casually.

"I didn't mean that… I meant the fog," I replied nervously.

"Fog?" he glanced back at me in surprise. "What fog? It's clear as day out there."

I blinked in confusion, looking around at the blanket of mist that had swallowed everything in front of us. Just as I started to speak, Irena-san chimed in from the back.

"It's likely Itsuki-san's 'vision,' seeing the energy of the ley lines as fog."

"Oh… really?" I asked, feeling both surprised and oddly reassured.

"Yes. I understand you could see the nucleus of Nina's fairy magic before, so it's likely you can also perceive the ley line's energy," Irena-san said calmly.

"Wait… so, can none of you see the fog?"

Everyone in the car nodded, confirming that the mist was only visible to me. Deciding to clear my vision, I extended a finger from my right hand and used

Shijutsu

to weave a quick

Silveit

thread in front of my eyes, fashioning it into a lens that would block magical energy.

The moment I put it in place, the mist vanished, and my view was crystal clear. It was like wiping away the steam from a foggy bathroom mirror. While I was adjusting the lens, the car finally pulled onto a wider, two-lane path, and Renji-san parked the car in a clearing.

"From here, we're hiking the rest of the way," he announced.

As we all stepped out, Irena-san clapped her hands together, and an otherworldly chorus filled the air, as though sung by invisible beings. Suddenly, energy surged within me.

"We'll be hiking uphill, so I thought a little 'enhancement' spell would help," Irena-san said, smiling as my dad nodded in gratitude.

The effects were immediate; my body felt light and full of energy. I wanted to see the fairies Irena-san had likely summoned, probably a group of sirens, but my magical-filtering lens blocked them from view.

"Thanks to the ley lines, our magic is exceptionally strong here," I remarked, feeling the heightened energy flow.

"You'll notice a definite increase in output here," my father agreed. "But remember, the monsters you may encounter here would benefit from the same power boost."

The narrow path weaved between dense trees, a barely defined trail created more by wild animals than people. We walked single file, with Aya-chan leading, me in the middle, and Nina-chan at the back.

"Are there monsters around here?" I asked.

"There shouldn't be," my father replied. "But if one were to appear, it'd likely be alone. This area is too remote for them to gather."

Monsters generally appeared where people congregated, but some were intelligent enough to avoid heavily guarded areas and seek out quieter spots.

That got me wondering about the swordsmith. Living in such a secluded area, what would he do if a monster suddenly showed up?

As we ascended the trail, a real, physical mist began to settle around us.

"That's a barrier," my father said.

"A barrier? You mean the mist?"

"Yes, it works similarly to a concealment spell," he explained.

Powerful monsters of the Fourth Rank and above use concealment magic to hide their presence from exorcists, so it made sense that we'd use similar techniques to protect ourselves.

I quickened my pace to keep up as they disappeared into the mist, which felt oddly thick and viscous, like wading through water. Just as abruptly as it had appeared, the fog parted to reveal a clearing with three wooden cabins nestled among the trees.

The largest cabin was surrounded by peach trees in bloom, their delicate pink blossoms somehow flourishing in this season. It felt surreal. The distant clang of metal guided us to the smallest cabin, where I assumed the swordsmith was working.

As we approached, I could feel the heat emanating from within, and the crackle of a grinding wheel grew louder. Just inside the open doorway, an elderly man with white hair and a clouded, sightless eye was sharpening a blade.

"It's been a while, sensei," my father greeted him with a respectful bow.

The old man looked up, his gravelly voice echoing through the cabin. "Ah, you've come, Souichirou."

As we entered, I noticed the grinding wheel was still in motion, though the elder held a partially sharpened blade. His sightless eye gave him an eerie, intense presence as he looked directly at me.

"What brings you here? Need a re-sharpening?" he asked, grumbling.

"No, not this time," my father said, then placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "I've brought my son here to have a you-tou forged for him."

The swordsmith raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing me closely. "Your son, eh?"

"Indeed. I figured you would know of him."

The swordsmith smirked, setting aside his blade. "Know of him? Of course. A rare Seventh Rank exorcist born in hundreds of years. He purified Raikou Douji at the age of five and has since taken down other Sixth Ranks… a rising star."

My father accepted the praise without a hint of modesty. I felt my face heat up at the attention, but my father remained stoic.

The swordsmith grunted, his gaze never leaving me. "You're seven years old now, aren't you? It'd look strange for a child like you to go without a weapon. Very well. I'll forge it—but there is a condition."

The old man's finger pointed directly at Nina-chan, who was standing by my side.

"Leave her here with me," he said bluntly.

"... Me?" Nina-chan's eyes widened, and she scrunched her brows together, looking utterly bewildered.