"When did you arrive home, Brother?" Father asked, having just returned from business in another village.

"5 hours, 21 minutes, 32 seconds ago."

"Sorry, I had something to do in Saltire."

"That place still exists?" uncle asked with surprised face.

"Surprisingly, yes."

I sat in front of Uncle, whose body was as big as Grandfather's even without his heavy armor.

"Clavis, it's been 4 years since we last met, and you're still a stickman."

"Stop calling me stickman. I tried working out after you left."

"And? You stopped after a week?"

"It was a month."

"Oh."

I could see Uncle's disappointed face.

"Is the war finally over?"

"Not yet."

"How were you allowed to come home?"

"I... got fired."

"What? Who had the balls to kick you out?"

"A high noble's son wanted to become commander, so they kicked me out."

"Sigh... I bet the front lines are in chaos now."

"Where's Father?"

"He said he's going to raid an orc nest. He'll probably be back in 2 days."

It was refreshing to see my father still acting like a normal younger brother.

"Dinner is ready!" shouted my mother from the dining room door.

We four ate the food my mother cooked, delicious as always.

"Mother, do you need an assistant in cooking?"

"Hm? Currently, I don't really need one."

"I know a girl who cooks really well."

My mother and father looked surprised.

"You have a friend?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, mother suddenly feels her back is so sore. I think I need an assistant."

"Okay... I'll tell her to come here tomorrow. Father?"

"Yes?"

"Do you need an alchemist?"

"Oh, we really need one more!"

I felt bad only bringing Maria here.

It's night, and I sit on the window sill. I see two guards standing near the wall I used to jump over, waiting for them to change shifts.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Change of shift!"

"Aye!"

They both walk away. I leap toward the wall but suddenly feel suspended in midair, then immediately drop back to the ground. It feels like a cat being scooped up by a human.

"Thanks, brother. We finally caught this girl red-handed."

I spot my father and mother at the window and realize who caught me.

"Does this kid always do this at night?"

"Yeah, but we could never catch her," Mother says.

"So, what's your reason this time?" Mother asks.

"I want to train magic."

"Why not in our backyard?"

"I want to measure how much mana I have."

"Your uncle Luke is here now. He can withstand all your magic for you."

"Really?"

"Yes. We actually want to see how much our daughter has grown."

"... Okay."

My parents and I wait in our backyard. My uncle then comes out in his heavy armor.

"Attack."

"Okay."

I create a simple fireball spell and replicate it about 20 times, launching them simultaneously. My uncle raises a magic shield, effortlessly absorbing all the fireballs.

"Don't hesitate!" he shouts.

I continue casting fireballs for half an hour straight.

"This is my limit," I pant.

I slump into the chair my parents prepared as my uncle lowers his magic shield and approaches me.

"Can you use your strongest magic once?" he asks.

"Sure."

After resting for a while, I craft a six-cycle spell. Upon casting, a single fire bullet shoots out. My uncle flinches slightly but manages to deflect it, redirecting its trajectory skyward.

"How many times can you cast that when your mana is full?" he inquires.

"Ten times."

"Clavis, Julianne, we need to discuss," my uncle says to my parents.

"Ruby, go to sleep, and don't jump over the wall, okay?" my mother instructs.

"Okay," I reply.

I sense that disobeying them this time would lead to me to a bad time.

The next day, I visit Maria and Alex's house to propose the job to them.

"I'm sorry, I must decline," Maria says with a sad face.

"May I know the reason?"

"This house is a legacy from my parents. If I leave, no one will take care of it."

"Well... okay. And you, Alex?"

"I just started my own business..."

"Oh, that's great. Good luck to you both."

I knew they would reject me. After all, why did I suddenly think of bringing them home?

I then head home after receiving another bag of cookies. On the way, I spot a temple.

"Sir, I want to visit the temple," I say.

"Sure."

The carriage enters the temple grounds. After it stops, I walk towards the temple. I see many statues and names of gods. Among them, I notice a male statue with short hair holding a spatula—clearly the god of cooking. However, I can't find Chronos anywhere.

I approach the altar and try praying, mimicking others. Suddenly, I find myself in a white room.

"It took you 8 months to think of praying at a temple? How atheistic were you in your past life?"

"Can you just shut up? You never told me to pray."

"You atheist!"

"I've been too busy!"

"Hah, whatever. Why did you suddenly start praying?"

"Just because."

"Haaah... Do you have any questions?"

"What novel am I in?"

"There is no novel."

"Can Felis use magic again?"

"If you awaken your power, then he can."

"How can I awaken it?"

"Find out yourself. Don't ask me, it's cheating."

"Am I your apostle?"

"No, I don't need believers or apostles."

"So why did you reincarnate me?"

"You'll know when you discover your identity."

"Any clues?"

"No."

"Is the big incident you mentioned near?"

"I don't know."

"What do you know?"

"Everything that's in time."

"So why don't you know the answer to my question?"

"Because it hasn't developed in time yet. I'm no god of fate or future."

"How large is my mana pool?"

"I'm terrible at math."

"What the hell? Why are you refusing to answer my questions?" i then asked again "Is my cheat time-related?"

"You could say that."

"Why did you choose me?"

"That's because—oh, what bad timing. Time's up, bye!"

"Hey! You did this intentionally, didn't you?"

"Who knows?"

I open my eyes and find myself back at the altar. I swear I'll punch that god's face if we meet again.