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An Otherworldly Scholar - 133
🕑 Added 2024-06-10 05:46:24 +0000 UTCAN: a bit longer than usual.
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Elincia and I stayed up late, sitting at the desk and thinking about ways of deceiving Kellaren’s guards. We counted on Sir Janus’ [Shadow Step], Lord Vedras’ Invisibility Potion, and my illusions as our primary strategy to move unnoticed through enemy territory. Still, it never hurts to have a backup plan.
My Rune Encyclopedia barely had a dozen entries, making coming up with a helpful enchantment near impossible. Luckily for me, Elincia had a concerning talent for destruction. A hot pebble coated in oils could start a fire if strategically positioned near dry hay. A hot pebble positioned near curtains could cause the manor to be evacuated. A hot pebble coated in Char-root oils positioned down a chimney could drown the building in thick, black smoke.
“Tell me you’ve never tried something like that,” I asked.
“You don’t get the Bad Reputation title for being a little angel,” Elincia replied.
Every teacher knew that smoke bombs came back into fashion from time to time, but I didn’t expect that trend to extend to Farcrest.
“I like my girls a little wild,” I sighed.
“Good,” Elincia replied, giving me a wink.
What concerned me the most about Elincia’s ideas wasn’t their explosive nature but the fact they would leave a trail of enchanted pebbles. The heist had to be perfect, and we couldn’t leave behind any clue that could lead Kellaren to us. The fact I was a Runeweaver had to remain a secret. I had enough orbiting the edges of the conflicts between nobles to put a neon sign aiming toward me.
“What about an unstable enchantment?” Elincia pointed out.
“That could be an idea,” I said, opening my hand and revealing the scar produced by stone splinters. During the last attack on the orphanage, I had rewritten the runes on a light stone to create a flash grenade. As a result, the enchantment had become unstable, and the pebble had exploded in my hand.
An unstable hot pebble would leave no trace of enchantment other than useless pieces of stone, but I wasn’t comfortable experimenting with explosives. I needed something more subtle, something that wouldn’t alert the whole enemy headquarters. Something like the Invisibility Potion.
“Maybe there’s something useful in Vedras’ notes,” I said. My idea was to replicate the Invisibility Potion, even in a lesser form.
“He already gave you a high-level potion and an invitation for me. I don’t think asking more for him is fair,” Elincia replied.
Then, my mistake hit me. Elincia wasn’t aware of Vedras' gift. The pile of books had gathered dust on the corner of her desk. Elincia had probably assumed it was part of my investigation and avoided touching them. I closed my eyes and asked my father’s spirit to grant me the wisdom I lacked.
“Do you love me, Elincia?” I asked.
She crossed her arms. “What did you do now?”
“I got you a gift,” I said, extending my arm and dragging the book pile wrapped in silk toward Elincia.
“I’m not going to pretend I didn’t know this package had been sitting there for the past two days,” she pointed out as she untied the hemp string. An untitled journal appeared on top of the pile. “Are you sure this isn’t a gift for yourself?”
Elincia looked at me with distrust.
“Look inside,” I replied.
As Elincia passed the pages, her expression became increasingly more confused. Suddenly, she stood up, turning over the chair. “What is this?”
“Recipes from the Alchemists of the Circle of Mariposa. A token of friendship from Lord Vedras,” I grinned.
Elincia jumped over the table and covered my face in kisses.
“I love it, thank you very much,” Elincia grinned, her body long across the table.
Then, she buried her face in the books and ignored me for the rest of the night while I worked on the runes. As fatigue won over us, Elincia’s eyes started to close, but she refused to put the books down. After a while, she fell asleep, and I carried her back to bed.
I put the light stones under a piece of cloth and laid down. Zaon’s birthday was around the corner, and I wanted to be well-prepared for anything the System Avatar threw in our direction. I said goodnight to Elincia, closed my eyes, and sleep quickly overcame me.
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We wake up to the sound of a hatchet splitting wood. Elincia grunted and nabbed my pillow to cover her head. The sun barely emerged over the mountains. It was too early for the orphans to be up as they usually waited for us to call them for breakfast. Risha, maybe?
Elincia pushed me with her knees, so I got out of bed to figure out who the early bird was. I powered the warming stones in the brazier and opened the window. A silver layer of frost covered the world. By the old shed, Zaon was cutting firewood.
“Someone had trouble sleeping,” I said, waving at the boy.
Zaon put the hatchet against the firewood pile and waved back. His breath turned into clouds of steam as he smiled. With everything going on, I hadn’t found time to prepare a birthday gift for him. I knew he wouldn’t complain if I took a few days, but I felt guilty nonetheless.
“Do you think an enchanted sword would do the trick?” I asked as I changed my clothes. Firana had the Aias Sword, Ilya her Cooldown Bow, and Wolf the Wind Sling; it was only logical that Zaon had his own enchanted weapon.
Elincia gave me a confused look.
“For Zaon’s birthday,” I added.
“Oh. Zaon will love whatever you give him,” Elincia replied, stretching and grunting under the sheets. “Really. All the orphanage is pretty much in love with you. Even Risha thinks you are a pretty cool dude.”
“Tell him I’m happily taken,” I said, grabbing a wet towel and cleaning my body before getting in my day clothes.
As soon as Ginz mastered the art of plumbing, I wanted to enchant a hot shower. I was sure Elincia would love the idea. I stopped fantasizing about modern appliances and put on my boots.
“I’ll check on Zaon,” I said.
“And I’ll be there in a minute,” Elincia replied. “Or two.”
I blew her a kiss and walked outside. The manor was silent, and not even the rats living in the attic made a sound. Since Astrid arrived at the orphanage, our rat problem had improved significantly. Her presence dissuaded any rodent presence, but I avoided asking questions about it.
I exited the orphanage, and the cold air bit my face, so I rolled up the neck of my jacket.
Zaon hummed the happy tune Elincia sang as he put a piece of wood on the chopping block. His calm demeanor and confident grip made me feel at ease. “Relaxing, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “We used bundles of sticks most of the time. Ilya and I went to the mountain path to collect wood for the winter while Elincia looked after the little ones. Buying firewood was a luxury.”
I sat against the shed and watched the boy chop wood. Despite the news regarding Kellaren’s intentions to take Firana away and the imminent Class Ceremony, Zaon seemed strangely serene. Nobody would believe that a few months back, he used to be such a jittery wreck that a simple sparring session put him on edge.
“Are you cold?” I asked.
“A little bit,” Zaon replied. “The exercise helps.”
I grabbed a small stone and rubbed the mud off the surface. I channeled my mana and wrote a simple three-rune enchantment. Fire-Gradual-Recharge. Then, I loaded the circuit with enough mana to warm the stone without overheating it and handed it to Zaon. The boy let out a sigh of relief as the stone warmed his reddened hands. Then, after a moment of bliss, he gave me a quizzical look. Most of the Scholar skills were common knowledge, and none allowed me to heat a stone.
“I have a small secret I haven’t shared with you yet,” I said, summoning my Character Sheet and turning it around. The hatchet fell from Zaon’s hand, making a dull sound as it hit the ground.
“A Runeweaver?! L-like Runeweaver Baram?!” Zaon stuttered.
I laughed. Elincia’s reaction had been very similar.
“I hope to become a legendary enchanter someday, but for now, I can do light and warming stones. I also enchanted Wolf’s sling and a couple of Warm Blankets,” I replied.
Everyone at the orphanage assumed I had bought the enchanted sling from the same vendor as Firana’s cape and Ilya’s bow.
Zaon’s surprise died down as I told him about my deal with the System. It wasn’t unheard of for people other than Zealots to receive quests, although it was a rarity. There have been few accounts of the System contacting regular people, and most cases were dubious at best. Zaon listened in silence. I told him about the System and the Corruption, about how it gave me the Runeweaver Class to fix the problems the Corruption was causing. Still, I avoided mentioning anything related to the System’s true nature.
Zaon remained composed during the story, asking a couple of questions here and there but mostly listening.
“A-are we starting a cult?” He asked as soon as I finished talking.
“Do you want to start one?” I replied.
Zaon scratched his chin. “That would make many people mad, so I would rather not.”
“I’m telling you this because I want to warn you,” I said. “Unlike Zealots, I have no direct communication with the System. The last time he contacted me was through Firana’s Class Ceremony, so when Astrid helps you get your class today, the System Avatar might contact you.”
A shadow of concern appeared on Zaon’s face.
“It will not interfere with the Ceremony, but the System Avatar might ask you to relay a message to me. Like Corin does from time to time,” I quickly added.
Zaon nodded. “I guess I can do that.”
He didn’t seem very convinced.
“You fended off the thieves that wanted to harm me, Zaon! They were fifteen levels above you! Relaying a message will be a piece of cake,” I grinned.
The kitchen windows opened, and the little kids greeted us. Zaon greeted back and put the hatchet back inside the shed. Then, we grabbed the firewood and walked back to the orphanage.
“I can see why the System chose you, Mister Clarke,” Zaon said as we reached the door. The lively sound of orphans came from the kitchen, and I knew everyone was waiting for the birthday boy to start the celebrations.
The compliment caught me by surprise.
“I think the System had to settle for me,” I replied.
“But you are… good. You always know what to do, and you don’t get scared by anything, not even Corruption,” Zaon said.
“You helped me when the thieves attacked me, even if you didn’t have a class yet. That’s true bravery,” I replied.
Zaon shook his head.
“You are getting it all wrong. I was terrified, and I puked in front of Sir Janus,” Zaon sighed as he closed the door behind us. “Firana was the brave one in that situation. She drew her sword and jumped into the fight without hesitating. I froze for a moment.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Firana has a strange sense of danger. She was helpful, but she already had two levels in longsword mastery and one in fencing,” I said. “You, on the other hand, were just starting to get the gist of it. Compared to Firana, you had to fight against your sense of self-preservation, which is a tall order. I believe you are as brave as Firana, if not more.”
Zaon blushed, and a hint of the kid he was when I first met him appeared behind his blue eyes.
“The past is the past. Today, you should focus on enjoying your birthday,” I patted his shoulder. “You’ll like the System Avatar. He’s a chill guy and wears khakis and a yellow polo shirt. Tell him I say hi.”
Zaon smiled.
“Thanks, Mister Clarke.”
“Thanks to you, Zaon,” I replied.
As soon as we entered the kitchen, the little kids assaulted us, grabbing the firewood from Zaon’s hands and dragging him to the table. They sat the elven boy on the head of the table and served him breakfast. Zaon had to take the spoon from Nokti’s hand before the girl could hand-feed him. Only Wolf had been patient enough to let the smaller ones treat him like a baby.
“How is our little boy doing, Mister Clarke?” Elincia asked as I put the firewood by the stove. She seemed to be in a good mood.
“He’s more worried about that time he puked in front of Janus two months ago. Probably no one else remembers,” I replied. “Other than that, he’s prepared.”
Elincia smiled as she prepared the batter for Zaon’s cake. “That sounds like him.”
I helped Elincia while the rest of the orphanage celebrated Zaon’s birthday. I noticed that Astrid and Risha couldn’t stop smiling. They probably never thought they would return to the orphanage for Zaon’s fifteenth birthday.
The breakfast continued as usual, with music, dances, and tasty foods to sweeten the moment. Even Loki abandoned his usual place at the corner of the kitchen, near the stove's heat, to join the party. Firana wasn’t happy when Zaon asked for vegetarian pie for lunch, but the birthday boy was the king for the day, so he had to accept it.
The first incident of the day occurred right away. Astrid and Zaon were playing the harp and the fiddle when Shu dragged Loki, in his usual dog form, onto the dancefloor. Risha almost choked on his cup of milk as the Changeling turned into a duck to perform their dance.
Using [Awareness], I pulled out my long list of mental notes. Telling Risha and Astrid that Loki was a Changeling remained uncrossed, so I couldn’t help but feel a bit responsible. Ginz patted Risha’s back until he stopped coughing and reassured him that Loki had been part of the team for a while. Astrid asked questions, but no one had answers. No one knew why the Changeling had a soft spot for the kids, but everyone at the orphanage was slightly odd.
Loki continued dancing with Shu without worrying about the commotion.
For a moment, I forgot about all my worries and enjoyed the scene.
When the kids finished their breakfast, Elincia expelled them from the kitchen and ordered them to dress up. After the initial reluctance, Risha convinced them they should dress up for the occasion in case Zaon wanted to play outside. The birthday boy was the king for the day, so that the little ones couldn’t help but obey.
Firana, Ilya, and Wolf led the little ones out of the kitchen.
“It seems it’s time. Should we be going to the Great Hall?” Zaon asked.
Astrid put her arm around Zaon’s shoulders and slapped his back with her tail. “I can save you the trip. I don’t need the System Shrine Fragment for this.”
Abei had told me only big cities had System Shrines. Even Fragments were rare, so only a handful of cities had them. Usually, Zealots traveled across the kingdom, visiting even the most remote hamlets so people could get their classes by their fifteenth birthday.
“A-all right, it wasn’t like I needed a minute to prepare myself,” Zaon said.
Without a warning, Astrid caught him in a tight hug. “You are going to be alright, Z. I got your back. Just listen to the Man in Yellow before picking a class, and we’ll breeze through it,” she said.
“T-t-the Man in Yellow? W-who is that?” Zaon stuttered, his body suddenly stiff like a board.
Astrid gave me a killer glance. “You didn’t tell him!”
I was sure I told Zaon that the System Avatar dressed yellow.
Zaon laughed and poked Astrid’s ribs. “I was joking. Mister Clarke told me everything.”
The joke didn’t sit well with Astrid because she coiled her arm around Zaon’s neck and squeezed. “Oh, you little shit. How dare you make your big sis worry like that.”
Risha and Ginz laughed, and I tried to put on my best smile, but my worries weighed on my shoulders. Part of me knew Zaon would get a good class. However, the mysterious rune had me nervous.
“Whenever you want, Zaon,” I said, knowing that wishing things were different wouldn’t make any change.
“See you all in a moment,” he said, standing before Astrid and offering his hands.
Astrid gave me a reassuring smile and grabbed Zaon’s hands. Then, she channeled mana, and white sparks danced around her. It wasn’t blue mana like mine, but pure white mana, directly from the Fountain. They closed their eyes, and the sparks ceased.
Elincia hugged me, and I felt her heart beating like a hammer inside her chest. Mine wasn’t any more calm. Seconds passed. Meanwhile, Risha opened the pantry and pulled out a cask of beer he had bought at the Dizzy Wolf after our surveillance operation.
“Everything will be alright,” Risha said, putting six cups on the table.
Before I could point out that Zaon wouldn’t be drinking, the trance finished, and they opened their eyes. Astrid gave Zaon a quick hug before forcing him to turn around. The boy looked at us with a slightly dizzy expression, but I couldn’t tell if it was due to Astrid’s hug or the trance itself.
“How did it go?” Elincia asked.
“I have a class!” Zaon announced, and the lack of urgency in his voice calmed me down.
Just as it had happened with Firana and Ilya, the boy had a different appearance: more mature and self-confident. A wave of relief washed over me.
“Of course you got a class, silly,” Elincia sighed as she let go of me. “Show us.”
Name: Zaon, Elf (Light-footed, Keen Senses, Night Vision).
Class: Sentinel Lv.1
Titles: Kind Hearted.
Passive: Longsword Mastery Lv.2, Fencing Lv.1, Sentinel’s Oath, Awareness.
Skills: Steadfast Shield, Ghost Blade, Sonar, Second Wind.
Risha went ahead of us and put a cup of mead in Zaon’s hand. “What is the deal with those skills?! Do you think you are an Advanced Class or something? And you dare get the same starting class as Sir Janus? You are out of line, kid.”
Elincia pushed Risha away and gave Zaon a big hug. “Sentinel is a good class. I think it suits you.”
“Congratulations, kid,” I said, touching Zaon’s shoulder.
“Thank you, really,” Zaon said, a bit flustered by the attention. “I will use my skills to help the orphanage and keep us all safe.”
“With that sweet tongue, it will not take long for you to land a girlfriend,” Risha said as he messed up Zaon’s hair.
“Not without my blessing,” Astrid grunted. “I will not let any opportunist skank get anywhere near Zaon.”
“Come on, Astrid, let the boy breathe. He needs experience before settling down,” Ginz added.
We laughed and gave Zaon some space. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and we turned around in unison. Corin recoiled under our gazes but composed herself almost instantly.
“Do I interrupt something?” She asked.
“No, please, come in. We were just celebrating Zaon’s birthday,” I replied.
Corin entered the kitchen. She wore her usual courier uniform: high boots, breeches, white shirt, jacket, and cloak, with a leather satchel hanging from her side. Her dark blonde hair fell over her shoulders instead of her usual high and functional ponytail.
“Right! Zaon’s birthday,” she said, digging into her satchel. She pulled out a small envelope and handed it to Zaon. Was she nervous?
Zaon untied it to reveal a pretty hair fork made of bone.
“I saw it at the market and thought it could be useful for you. You know, for sparring and stuff…” Corin said, blushing.
Risha grabbed Astrid’s arm and locked it behind her back as surreptitiously as a two-meter-tall orc could do. No one else seemed to notice, though.
“Oh! I also have a message for Robert Clarke,” Corin said. “There has been a change in the tournament brackets. Lowell’s Orphanage will not face Team Farcrest. Your next rival will be House Herran.”
Comments
David Ellis
I wonder if Zaon's Awareness will help him realize how Corin feels? :)
Mohamed
Thanks for the chapter
