Raine could work at the town blacksmith shop and earn Blacksmith Apprentice EXP on the side.

There was a problem.

According to the former Raine's memories, Boris, the blacksmith who owned the shop, was notoriously stingy. Unless someone already possessed enough experience to produce useful work, learning a craft under him required a hefty apprenticeship fee.

Five or ten Silver Coins, if Raine remembered correctly.

His family couldn't possibly afford that much right now.

He would need another approach.

"Good evening, Aunt Sima."

"Good evening, little Raine." Aunt Sima, who knew his mother well, smiled kindly. "You've only spent a week in the training program, but you already look livelier. Stronger too."

*Do I?*

At first, Raine assumed she was merely being polite.

Then he raised an arm and looked more closely. Faint but unmistakable definition had appeared on what had once been a stick-thin limb, especially around his biceps.

He lifted his shirt to inspect his stomach. The shadows of eight abdominal muscles had emerged.

Thin people displayed definition more easily, but this body hadn't possessed any visible muscle before. A little exercise now, and those lines would become obvious.

That single point of Strength had produced immediate results.

---

Raine stopped before a two-story house with a triangular roof.

The steep roof was covered in thatch. Packed earth formed the lower walls, while the rest of the house was timber. Small plots in front and behind the building held scallions and vegetables.

A woman was bent over in the garden, pulling something from the soil. She sensed his approach and straightened.

"Raine? Is that you?"

Her kind, dignified face, marked by years of care, unlocked a rush of memories. Warm scenes flowed through Raine's mind one after another.

The words came before he needed to search for them.

"Mother, it's me. I'm home."

"Let me look at you. You've filled out in just a few days. The estate must feed its page boys well." Smiling, she drew him into an embrace.

Emotion stirred in Raine's chest.

He couldn't tell whether it came from the body's instincts or from something inherent to being human. He only knew that the feeling was sincere, rising from the deepest part of him.

This woman had been the former Raine's mother.

Now she was his mother too.

"Brother! Is Brother home?"

A pretty little girl with long hair ran in from the backyard, clutching a handful of chopped scallions.

A name clicked into place.

Mint. His younger sister.

"Mint!"

Raine scooped her up and spun her around. Her delighted laughter filled the yard.

His father returned not long afterward. He was a broad, sturdy man with a square face and a simple manner. Deep lines creased his forehead, left there by years of worry.

The man smiled at the sight of Raine and placed a broad, calloused hand on his shoulder.

"You've gotten stronger. Taller too, I think."

"Father, you've worked hard."

Raine hugged him tightly.

His father didn't understand why his son had suddenly become so emotional, but he was pleased and returned the embrace.

---

That evening, the family of four sat together around a wooden table.

Dinner consisted of salted pork, a large plate of mashed potatoes, several pieces of rye bread, and a bottle of milk.

For an ordinary commoner household, this was a feast. His father had clearly prepared it because Raine was home. On any normal day, he would never have spent so freely.

Raine devoured his portion and found himself barely half full.

He was at an age of rapid growth, when a boy could eat his parents into poverty. Since assigning that point to Strength, his body also seemed to have consumed the last of its stored nutrition. For the past two days, his hunger had been relentless.

The craving for meat never left his thoughts.

After finishing his share, Raine swallowed and forced his gaze away from the food that remained.

His mother noticed at once.

"Raine, you're still hungry. Take these two slices of salted pork. I've had enough."

"Brother, I'm still little." Mint pushed her bowl of mashed potatoes toward him. "You can have mine."

"Raine, take my..." his father began.

Raine's eyes stung.

Until now, he had worked hard to change his circumstances and because, as a transmigrator in a transcendent world, he longed to wield real power.

From this moment onward, another powerful reason joined those ambitions.

In the end, he accepted his mother's pork and Mint's mashed potatoes. He refused his father's bread.

His father performed hard physical labor and needed the food more than he did.

Raine slept deeply that night.

---

Early the next morning, his father politely refused Raine's offer to help in the fields and left before dawn. His mother went to work at the town inn.

Only Raine and Mint remained at home.

He followed his sister's voice into the small yard and found her planting carrots with another girl.

"Brother, you're awake? I'm planting carrots with Sister Anna."

*Anna.*

Of course. The girl next door.

She was quiet and rarely spoke. People said she had come to Goldflash Town with her mother, but her mother had mysteriously disappeared a year ago.

Anna now lived alone in the wooden house beside theirs.

The girl turned toward him. Her features were fine and pretty, but her complexion had the sallow cast of long-term malnutrition. Her pale blond hair was dry and split at the ends. Only her deep brown eyes held a stubborn, resilient beauty.

"Raine... hello." She lowered her head, her greeting stiff with shyness.

Raine thought he was a few months older than her. In his memories, Anna had always been timid around other people.

"Hello, Anna."

He was about to help with the carrots when George called from the front of the house.

"Raine! Let's go gather nuts."

"Brother, I want to come too!" Mint cried, instantly excited.

Longing appeared in Anna's eyes as well.

Raine hesitated, then refused. George was already doing him a favor by sneaking him into the Habsburg woodland. Bringing two more people without permission would be inappropriate.

"Mint, stay here with Sister Anna. I'll bring plenty of nuts home for both of you."

"All right..." Mint answered miserably, but she obeyed.

Children from poor families learned responsibility early. She was so young, yet already sensible.

Raine rubbed Mint's head and left with George.

---

They had walked for some distance when George gave him a strange look.

"Raine, why is your sister spending time with Anna? Haven't you heard? People say she's ill-omened."

"Ill-omened?"

"I once overheard my father talking about it. Anna's mother might not have disappeared. It sounds like she was taken away." George glanced around to ensure no one was nearby. "I don't know the details. Don't repeat this to anyone."

"Who took her?"

"I honestly don't know."

George let the subject drop, then continued, "Did you hear that two children from commoner families have gone missing on the north side of town? Remind Mint not to wander outside."

"Here in Goldflash? I thought the disappearances were happening in other towns. Wasn't Goldflash supposed to be safe? Has it spread here now?"

"I'm not sure about that either..." George frowned. Raine's question had once again reached the limit of what he knew.