3 Rune Argentus 2

After telling my wife to wake up our son, I headed down the dirt road toward our fields. The first thing I need to do is take inventory. Being a self-sufficient town, each household has its field that they can do with what they like. Ours is located at the end of the road that leads to our house. Norma wanted a little more privacy when we built our home and instantly fell in love with this location the first time she saw it. I don't mind the walk, as it allows me time to enjoy the scenery and the crisp morning air. Reaching our fields, I walked off to the side where the barn was located so I could take stock of our supplies.

Upon arriving, I reached into my pocket to pull out a small metallic slab and tapped it with my finger to bring up a projection. It was a holographic display, a remnant of Ancient's technology. The current world is what you would call 'Medieval,' but history says things were much more advanced at one point.

Much of that was lost during the great change, and only a few things of that era remain in use today, and holographic technology is one of them. There are many kinds, and they are used for different things like entertainment, identification, and even books. Mine is a simple one that records information. Here at our fields, we grow wheat and vegetables and raise livestock. While going over everything, I heard a voice.

"Mornin Bo, getting ready to start the day?"

"Ah Bill, mornin. Yes, I'm just taking stock while I wait for Rune to get ready." "You heading over to the house?"

A gentle-looking man walked over with a small, bushy, curved tail and short stubby ears that matched his chestnut-colored hair. He was a nut kin, a squirrel beastman, and our resident rune mage. The government controls rune mages as part of a system that the Kaiser put into place long ago to help rebuild society. Although our village is self-sufficient, we still depend on rune mages for our daily needs, and one or more are assigned to each town and city, depending on the size.

Runes are responsible for many things like providing running water, electricity, and whatnot, and working in conjunction with our holograms in different ways. For example, Runes placed on the structure of our barn allow information to be sent directly to my Holopad, giving detailed information about anything that's placed inside. Runes must be activated with mana, and while not everyone can use magic, everyone has mana in their bodies and is capable of activating them.

"Yep, that's right. I was headin up there to ensure all the runes were workin properly." "Little Rune still not up yet?"

"No, you know how my boy is. He never changes. Anyways what can I do for you?"

"I was also thinking of checking on the runes placed in the barn. They don't need to be checked too frequently, but it has been quite a while since I've looked at these ones."

"By all means, go right ahead."

We continued chatting for a bit while Bill looked over the runes placed on the barn until he finished up.

"everything looks good."

"Is that so? That's good."

"hehe, you know, while I'm up at the house, I can also take a look at your Rune if you want?."

"HAHA, I'm afraid that's a bit out of your expertise. It will take more than you are capable of to fix that one."

After chatting for a while longer, Bill departed towards the house. In the meantime, I went back to looking over everything while waiting for Rune to meet me.

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Making my way downstairs, I stopped for a moment and squinted my eyes. 'Why do I feel like someone's talking shit? Eh, it must be my imagination. After reaching the dining room to eat, I saw my mom working on preparing bread with another woman. This is Jean, the mother of my childhood crush. Like my mom, she looks younger than her age with blond hair, blue eyes, and an attractive face. She's always had a good relationship with my mother, who often worked together to bake bread.

Each household has a specialty that they produce; ours is the wheat we use to make bread. A portion of each house's specialty is set aside for the community while the rest is sold to traveling merchants and adventurers who pass through our town. Being one of the only stops on the way to the capital, we have no trouble selling things.

"Oh sweetie, you're up. I heated you some rice porridge with a fresh piece of bread" "Of course, you remember Jean; she's helping out again today."

'Geeze, this woman. You wouldn't know by looking at her that this is the same person that dropped me on my head earlier.'

I was still a little grumpy, so I responded with a simple 'mmn.' After sitting down and taking a spoonful of porridge and a mouthful of bread, I heard Jean call me.

"Oh, Rune, when are you going to ask out my Stella?"

*COUGH* *COUGH*

"Mrs. Jean, what are you saying?!"

"Oh, come now, I've seen how you watch her."

" Well. . . "

"You should ask. If you are worried about the fact that you're leaving in a week, then it's fine. That girl has no desire to leave this place, and it's not like you will never come back. I'm sure you guys could make things work."

"Maybe you are right."

'She's not wrong. I have always been interested in Stella, and I'd be lying if I said my departure was one of the reasons for me holding back.'

"Of course I'm right; take a chance. Once you leave, you'll probably get caught up in things and won't return for a while."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am certain she will respond favorably. Even if things don't work out, I'd still like her to get some experience with relationships, and who knows when someone will take an interest in her again, considering she doesn't want to leave this town."

'That's true, we don't get a lot of visitors besides traveling merchants and adventurers that are passing through on their way to the capital, and all the other kids close to our age group left last year to start their own journeys'

"Alright, you convinced me; I'll muster up the courage."

Jean simply smiled and went back to help make the bread. After finishing eating, I made my way over to the bath. The bathhouse wasn't anything too fancy. The hallway leading in had wooden cubbies with towels for storing your clean clothes and a basket in the corner for your dirty clothes. Inside Was a wooden tub for soaking and a shower head in an open area with a bucket and stool for washing yourself. Stepping inside, I undressed and took a second to admire my appearance in the mirror, which I often do.

Staring at my reflection, I smiled at what I saw. I had the best features of both my parents. I had my mother's attractive face, bright green eyes, auburn hair, and my father's well-built body. My hair wavy hair is on the longer side, set in its usual windswept style. Because of its length, some of the strands tend to fall down the side of my face. My body is well-defined and muscular but not too much to where I look bulky like my dad—all of those combined to give me a slightly androgynous look. Looking down, I saw my manhood dangling toward to floor. It sits at an impressive 6 inches and grows another inch and a half when I'm aroused. I'm pretty proud of it.

After quickly cleaning up, I got dressed into some clothes suitable for work: a white cotton shirt and a simple pair of pants. Leaving the bathhouse, I said goodbye to my mom and Mrs. Jean; I made my way down the road to the fields.