Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 6

"You have been purchased by our family. From now on, you will live and work for us."

It was a dream I'd had a long time ago. That was over ten years ago. And it was kind of a bad memory.

What had I done wrong? Was it that I couldn't hide my spiritual power well enough? Or was it that I had been acting so wise because of my reincarnation? No, it must have been a mistake to have been reborn in this world in the first place.

I was reborn in the world of a game that I knew so well... and although I was excited for the first few days when I realized it, I soon came to realize the reality. This world is too harsh to live in. And it is too malicious.

Moreover, when I realized that I had no so-called cheat ability, it turned into despair. In this world where I could die without being involved in the story, I worked desperately to train my spiritual power, which was too weak and fragile to be a benefit from reincarnation, and to be able to manipulate it completely. Spiritual power is not only a power to fight against Youkai but also a smell of a feast for them. If it isn't strong enough to fight, or even if it is halfway there, it will only make them kill me, so I trained hard to suppress and hide my spiritual power.

Seriously... it was very hard work. The setting of 'Firefly of the Dark Night (Yamiyo no Hotaru)' is inspired by Northern Japan or Hokuriku region, so the winters are harsh. And I was born in a cold village in a barren land. With three brothers and sisters under me, children are a precious labor force.

At that time, by the time I can remember my previous life, I'd been hoeing with my stomach growling, shoveling snow, weaving sandals, and using all the precious time I have left to suppress my spiritual power. These were the days when all I could think about was the immediate future. The few times I had fun were when I was taking care of my little brother or sister, or even the other younger children in the village. I told them fairy tales about stories I knew from a previous life and taught them simple reading, writing, and arithmetic. The children were pure, and they admired me without question. It's a shameful thing to say now, but it was one of my few pastimes to feel superior in this way.

However, it was then that I was in a situation. One day, well-dressed visitors arrived in the village. The village chief, who usually demanded a heavy tribute and ordered us to do chores, took one look at us as we bowed our heads in desperation. But then, I gasped. Immediately, I felt a rush of spiritual power that overflowed my body.

It made me nauseous immediately. No, at that time, I vomited. I was hit by too much spiritual power and fell down, and I just vomited like a drunken person. Even though there was not much in my stomach, I vomited even though there was only gastric juice. My head was headachy like a drunken man, my vision was shaking, and my consciousness was fading away. The voices around me were also fading away, and it was difficult to understand what the sounds meant. I just felt like I was drowning on the land...

However, I knew that the village chief yelled at me and took out a whip. I thought I was going to be whipped... but then the visitor stopped the chief. And the moment I looked up and saw the figure saw the look in his eyes, I knew for sure. I knew my power was exposed. Or rather, that I'd been observed. Now that I think about it, it must have been a kind of eye technique.

After that, there was some conversation with the village chief and my parents, and I was taken away by the visitors without a word of explanation as they handed the money over to my parent and the village chief. Seeing this, my little brother and sister chased after me with tears in their eyes, but they were being held back by my parents. That was the last time I remember seeing my family.

After that, my memory is hazy. But I do remember that they asked me some questions as they took me away.

They took me on horseback and I rode with them over the mountains for days. I remember that they made me take off my rags and put on brand new clothes at an inn town along the way.