Areishia’s Life

"Ars... What a strange name."

Restia found the name odd, as it only consisted of three letters.

"A lot of people say that." Ars shrugged and did not deny.

"You are not afraid of me, Ars?"

"Why should I be afraid of you?"

"Aren't you worried about me being a Revolting Spirit and attacking you?"

Restia raised her hand and made a pounce pose.

"Only cowards are afraid of cute girls."

"C-Cute?!?"

Ars' seriousness made Restia blush. This was the first time someone had complimented her beauty. All this time, humans were afraid of her.

"Besides... Would a Revolting Spirit communicate like you? I do not think so."

"You're a pretty smart guy."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Of course, all the men I meet don't really rely on women for survival and don't use their brains."

Restia did not hide her disdain for men. In a world where women dominate, weak men don't play much of a role in society.

"Rest assured. I'm the best man in the world." Ars said without the slightest hesitation.

"Oh, either you are confident or a fool who has not seen the world."

Flapping her black wings, Restia landed in front of Ars. However, due to her shorter height, she looked up to stare at each other.

"Then it must be the first."

"Fufufu... What an interesting man. I hope your claim is true."

Restia giggled, her body blending into the darkness and disappearing.

"So it's a Spirit... Are all Spirits in human form, or is Restia one of the special Spirits? Don't be too quick to jump to conclusions, this is the first Spirit I've seen, it's not too late after seeing another Spirit."

Feeling that he had had enough, Ars did not explore the forest and returned home.

...

The next day.

The sun had just risen, but Ars was already awakened by a noise.

He got up from the floor. Last night, he slept on the floor because there was no other bed.

Ars was still in a semi-conscious state and muttered: "Hoam~... How long have I not slept, several years or decades? I can't remember anymore."

Exiting the room, he saw Areishia stirring the wheat, it was estimated that she wanted to make bread.

"Morning, big big brother Ars." Wiping her face, Areishia greeted with a cheerful smile.

"Good morning."

Ars opened the door, the cool morning air hit him, and the sunlight shone through the house.

"Let me help."

"No need, big brother Ars is still injured... Wait a minute..."

Refusing Ars' offer of help, Areishia realized something was wrong. She scanned him up and down, now realizing that his wound had completely healed.

"Eh, big brother Ars is healthy? The doctor said it would take at least a month for you to recover."

"Only now did you realize? Areishia, your response is too slow."

Wiping flour on her cheek, Ars was amused. Then he continued: "Don't care about the reason, the most important thing is that I have recovered and can help you."

"Oh." Areishia nodded and no longer asked any questions.

Despite having lived a millennium, apart from instant food, Ars has no cooking skills, so he is guided by Areishia to make bread.

With the performance of two people, bread making time becomes faster. After the bread was cooked, the two of them ate together.

(If only I could access [Storage Magic], I could sell gold. Then Areishia's life would be much better.)

Seeing Areishia enjoying the bland buns without the slightest bit of complaining, Ars felt helpless.

The girl called him big brother, he considers her as his little sister. What a coincidence, wanting to have a little sister is one of Ars' regrets in life.

"Where are you going?" Ars asked, watching Areishia get ready to leave.

"Driving the goats to the pasture. I work as a shepherd, taking care of the goats belonging to the villagers." Areishia replied.

"I am coming along."

"Okay."

At the stables, Areishia guided the goats to the pasture. Along the way, the villagers greeted her and looked curiously at Ars.

Ars chased the goats off course, and after walking for a few minutes, they arrived at the meadow.

"Here I found big brother Ars."

"Areishia, don't tell me you… Take me to the village alone?"

Looking around, Ars found no other villagers. A guess emerged in his mind.

"Yes. Big brother Ars is very heavy, you know." Areisha nodded. She considers helping each other a natural thing.

"You are too kind, Areishia... What if I was a bad person like a bandit. At that rate, you will be in danger." Ars felt compelled to teach the girl a life lesson.

Not all humans will return the favor after receiving good treatment!

There's nothing wrong with being kind, but when dealing with dregs who have lost human qualifications, kindness only hurts itself!

"Big brother Ars is overthinking. There are still good people in this world, if you haven't found one yet, then become one."

Whether out of naivety or a pure heart, Areishia looks at the world with a positive mind.

Those words had shaken Ars' heart. He who had witnessed the dark side of humanity, and knew how unreasonable Areishia's words were. However, seeing the girl's smile, he didn't want to spoil her with the truth.

(Forget it, he's still a child. Her insight is too childish; maybe her mindset will change with age.) Ars thought, letting out Areishia's beautiful fantasy.

Then the two of them returned home, but Areishia wasn't as relaxed as Ars thought. On the contrary, she became busier.

Areishia washes clothes by the river, after which she will join the villagers in farming. Only when noon came would She take her lunch break.

After an hour of rest, she helps the villagers with their work and gets paid a meager amount. In the afternoon, she spent the money she earned that day to buy grain.

With the additional passengers, namely Ars. Areishia spent more money than usual.

Of course Ars worked to help lighten her load.

What made him most uncomfortable were the gazes the village women had upon seeing him, it was like a tiger seeing a rabbit.

He realized the reason behind the aggressive stares of the women. Compared to the men in the village, he was without a doubt the most handsome boy.

Moreover, this world is typical of the matriarchy. According to women, men should be grateful because there are women who want to be with them.

When evening came, Ars and Areishia would pick up the goats in the pasture and bring them back to the pen.

Girls of Areishia's age should play with their peers and enjoy their youth like any other girl. But in order to make a living, she gave up her youth.

At night, after Areishia fell asleep, Ars would go into the forest to explore. However, for some reason, the only Spirit he encountered was Restia.

As an Idaten, he had no need for sleep. So he spent the night with Restia. Of course the two of them were just chatting and not doing anything weird.

Thus the days flew by, and Ars lived a monotonous life for two years while trying to recover his strength.