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An Otherworldly Scholar - 59
🕑 Added 2023-10-04 22:06:45 +0000 UTCRain lashed against the manor but the new wooden shingles held in place. The wind howled and whistled through the gaps in the roofing. However, the orphanage remained dry and warm. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.
On the flipside, for each solved problem, two more arose. The storm was predicted to last at least a week, which meant our already tight training schedule would be put to a complete stop until the storm passed. Only the winter separated us from the next Tax Season now and I feared my training regime lacked real-life experience.
Janus’ words echoed inside my mind. ‘To keep the secrets of the kingdom safe, cadets and graduates take an oath to keep the methods a secret’. Being branded a traitor sounded similar to being added to an intelligence service list. I scratched my shin, wondering how expensive that piece of information would be. The Imperial Academy made sure to strongly dissuade anyone who could leak the information of the entrance exam, so I doubted it was anywhere near our reach.
Maybe, asking for Janus help was the right choice after all. My logic was simple. If the Imperial Academy wanted to keep the entrance exam a secret, it meant the exam was fundamentally the same, or at least very similar, every year. Even if Janus graduated a long time ago, his knowledge must be as good as a recently graduated Knight.
The cold rain continued falling.
Elincia’s bedroom smelled like herbs and old books. An unsuspecting observer might deduce the storm had rendered the room a chaotic mess of alchemical tools and open books, but the truth was elsewhere. Last night we were too tired to tidy up the room after a harsh day of work. Elincia had made it her personal crusade to find a cure for my Corruption, so after we finished brewing potions she would immerse herself by digging through Mr. Lowell’s old collection. Hence, the piles and piles of books covering every single surface.
Elincia snuggled to my side and rested her head on my chest. Like every morning, her emerald eyes examined every landmark on my face, scanning for signs of Corruption. Luckily, the dark substance seemed to be stuck on my chest.
“Did you find anything interesting last night?” I asked as I softly drew circles on Elincia’s back.
“I found you sleeping by my side.” She replied.
A cute admission that she had not made any progress whatsoever.
“What about you? Have you guessed what the entrance exam is all about?” Elincia asked.
I shook my head.
“There has to be a reason why the nobility seamlessly achieves something unachievable for the common folk.” I replied. Most nobleborns assisted the Academy when only one commoner in the story of Farcrest had made it. “I’m worried my methods might be too theoretical.”
Suddenly, Elincia sat astride over me, then she leaned forward until our lips almost touched. The night gown rolled up her thighs, revealing her long and toned legs. I was starting to like night gowns. The way the garment hung from her shoulders allowed me to barely see past down her collarbone. I tried to lift my head for a better angle but Elincia pushed me back down.
“I love when you use your funny Scholar words.” Elincia whispered seductively. “Theoretically, we could take a day off and stay in bed all day.”
My pulse skyrocketed.
“Aren’t you supposed to be the responsible one?” I said as I tried to steal a kiss from her, however, Elincia pulled back before I could trap her lips.
Our morning chilling sessions usually ended when one of us pointed out we had obligations to fulfill. This time, however, Elincia didn’t budge. Instead, she pressed her body against mine. It wasn’t much of an embrace as a way of keeping me from moving. Either way, I was okay with it.
“I’m making the responsible decision of giving us time to rest.” Elincia said as she drew the lines of the Corruption with her finger.
A distant thunder echoed over the raindrops against the roof. If I didn’t know better, I’d say water spirits were throwing buckets over the orphanage. After witnessing the Lich’s area spell, it was easy to tell natural weather from magic spells apart.
“Sometimes, the responsible decision is to indulge in the present.” Elincia closed her eyes and kissed me, devoting all her attention to that single moment. For a moment, all my worries fade away.
Suddenly, Elincia’s ears perked up and I knew something was walking down the corridor before hearing the footsteps. A moment later, someone knocked on the door. Considering how heavy the steps were, I guessed it was Firana.
“Miss Elincia, breakfast is ready!” The girl said from the other side of the door before continuing her way.
Elincia threw her head back and groaned.
“Do you think I can ground everyone and get away with it?” Elincia rolled over from her advantageous position over me and snuggled to my side.
“You want a rebellion? Because that’s how you get a rebellion.” I jokingly said, sitting on the bed and searching for my boots.
We had too many close calls with the kids knocking on the door anytime things got remotely heated. Luckily, Elincia’s hearing was better than the snakefolk twins’ ability to pass unnoticed. The storm hadn’t helped us in the least. With twelve orphans trapped inside the manor, our chances of having time alone were minimal at best.
“Should I spike their breakfasts with a Sleeping Potion?” Elincia said as she hugged me from behind.
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Please don’t spike anyone’s breakfast.” I said.
“I know, I won’t do it… unless...”
“No!”
Elincia hummed a happy melody while she got dressed behind the folding screen. Other than the constant interruptions, life at the orphanage was better than ever. I made myself presentable and spied through the door to ensure the corridor was empty. Only then did we head towards the kitchen.
Breakfast was a lot livelier than I expected, with all the orphans chattering and laughing despite the gloomy day. The warmth of the wooden stove and the aroma of freshly cooked food seemed especially comforting with the relentless rain falling outside. Moreso since we had finally stocked the pantry with spices.
“Do nobles bring their kids into the Farlands?” I asked, my voice barely audible with the noise of the kids and the clamor of the rain.
“I’d say they bring their kids to hunt, sometimes. Otherwise no, it’s too dangerous to bring a classless person into the Farlands.” Elincia replied as she dipped a piece of bread into her soup.
Long gone were the days of insipid gruel.
“Really? I know a girl who liked to venture into the Farlands before getting her class.” I replied with a mischievous smile.
“That’s completely different! I’m an expert when it comes to traversing the Farlands.”
Elincia jabbed at me.
I thanked the System that none of the orphans had picked Elincia’s liking for adventure. The mere idea of one of the kids going into the Farlands sent a shiver down my spine. I could only imagine how worried Mr. Lowell must’ve been when Elincia disappeared for days and days.
The orphans slowly stopped talking to each other and focused on our friendly banter. Since our arrival from the Farlands, Elincia and I had dropped our solely professional demeanor, and started to act more like friends in front of the kids.
Elincia and I had settled on telling them about our romantic relationship eventually, but in the meantime we decided to play with them for a while. The younger kids suspected something out of the ordinary was happening, but none could pinpoint how our relationship had changed.
“Miss Elincia?” Shu asked.
“Yes?”
The harpy girl stood in the corridor between the two tables.
“Do you like Mister Clarke?” She asked.
Before, Elincia would’ve blushed and silenced Shu the best she could. Now, however, Elincia just smiled.
“Of course I do. Mister Clarke is smart and hardworking, and he helps a lot around the orphanage. How couldn’t I like him?” Elincia replied.
“Is that so?” Shu said, narrowing her eyes.
Out of nowhere, Loki transformed into its dog form and stood by the girl’s side before parroting her words. “Is that so?”
Lately, Loki spent most of the day following the younger orphans around.
I scratched my chin, wondering if Elincia had ever shown any signs of being romantically interested in me before. I shook my head, a couple suspicious situations popped into my head, but I quickly discarded them. Elincia was probably being friendly.
Not that it mattered anymore.
“Alright kids! Finish eating, and go clean your teeth.” Elincia shouted. “If anyone has more questions, please resort to Mister Clarke, he is the resident Scholar, not me.”
Elincia gave me a mischievous glance and emptied her soup bowl. Luckily enough, no kid had further questions about our relationship, so the kitchen emptied quickly. A moment later there were only the two of us and Loki sleeping near the stove. As far as my observations went, Changelings could sleep up to twenty hours a day and didn’t need food to survive.
An idea had suddenly popped into my mind. The Changeling’s skill to adopt the form of monsters should be useful to make my lessons more practical. At least it would help the kids to experiment fighting with non-humanoid creatures.
“Hey, Loki. Wanna play with the grown-up kids today?” I asked.
Loki’s ear slightly perked up, but its eyes remained firmly closed.
“I told you it would become lazy if you pampered it too much.” Elincia pointed out.
“Damn beast.” Loki lazily replied.
In the end, I swiftly kissed Elincia goodbye after ensuring there were no kids on the watch, and walked to meet my class. We had emptied one of the classrooms and used it as an improvised gym. There was not enough space to do actual fencing, but just enough for a basic workout. Today, I had different plans.
The corridor was cold, and the classroom wasn’t much warmer either. Zaon and Firana were chatting next to the window while Ilya glared at them from the door. Wolf was standing in the corner with his eyes closed but I knew he wasn’t meditating. He was just avoiding being dragged into any sort of social interaction.
That’s what I called our status quo.
“Good morning, kids.” I greeted them with a cheerful tone.
Even with the rain and the cold, I had to set the mood straight from the beginning.
“Good morning, Mister Clarke.” Zaon, Ilya, and Wolf replied.
“Hey, Rob!” Firana said after a pause.
Ilya instantly gave her a warning glance and Zaon flushed, as if by mere proximity, he was also part of the prank. Even Wolf opened an eye, and watched the scene with interest. What Firana ignored was that I had survived all kinds of pranks already. Some of them were not so lighthearted as hers.
Most teachers believed pranksters wanted attention, but I knew that wasn’t completely right. Lack of attention might be one of the reasons that fueled their actions. However, what pranksters wanted over all was a reaction.
“I’m sorry, Miss Aias, but only my friends can call me ‘Rob’. You should stick to ‘Mister Clarke’.” I said before Ilya could dispense justice by her own hand.
Not giving them the expected reaction usually worked in my favor.
Wolf flashed a smile.
“What? How can we not be friends? We exercise together every day and we have fun. Do we have fun, right?” Firana said with a high-pitched voice. She almost sounded insulted.
Only my experience as a teacher allowed me to maintain an indifferent expression.
“I’m your teacher, not your friend. You should be conscious of that.” I said. “Sometimes it’s hard to say no to a friend, but you will have to say ‘no’ to a teacher. The classroom is a place for the debate of ideas, Firana. All of you should remember that when you go to the Imperial Academy.”
Zaon scratched his head.
“So, we can question your methods, Mister Clarke?” Ilya shyly asked.
“No, my methods are perfect and shall not be doubted. You can question Miss Elincia’s methods, though.” I replied with a grin.
The four kids shook their heads at the same time. None of them were reckless enough to even think about trying it. At least their reactions shed light over the reason why the kids were so well behaved. The first time I met her, I also thought she was a little scary.
“Anyway, the backyard is too muddy so we will use the old ballroom. Let’s go.” I said.
“I hope I don’t have to dance with Wolf.” Zaon sighed.
The manor was divided into two wings. The eastern wing was the one currently in use, with the sleeping quarters, the kitchen –which used to be the service kitchen–, and the classrooms. The western wing was currently closed due to a broken beam in the main kitchen, but most of the rooms were safe to use. With so few orphans, the extra space hadn’t been needed so the whole western wing had remained closed for security reasons.
I led the way to the reception room and unlocked the door. A damp scent instantly filled my nose. The wide corridor was pitch black, so I lit a small mana flame. The old paint was peeling off the bare walls just like in the rest of the orphanage. I smiled. It was time for a change.
We reached a beautifully carved double door made of solid lacquered wood. It wasn’t just a door but a work of art in itself, one of the last relics of the manor’s golden age. I felt guilty for lazing on the bed with Elincia when there was so much to do around the orphanage.
The old hinges creaked when I pushed the door open.
Faded tapestries depicting scenes of hunting parties riding on horseback through the woods appeared in front of us. Bronze chandeliers hung from the ceiling. On the right, tall arched windows allowed the weak rays of sun to filter into the room, and on the left, a massive mirror stretched across the entire wall, reflecting the light from the windows and giving the illusion that the room was twice as spacious. The ballroom could easily hold more than a hundred guests without feeling cramped.
The mirror could be specially handy to polish the kid’s strikes and feints.
“Alright folks, who wants to go first?” I asked with a mischievous smile.
There was one of my skills who wasn’t corrupted, and it was exactly the one I planned to use today. Even the high ceiling seemed to conspire against the kids.
“I’ll go first!” Firana said, grabbing her sword and taking a step forward.
The rest of the kids sat against the wall, and I prepared my [Minor Illusion].
“Are you ready, Firana?” I asked, standing in front of the girl.
Despite not having my own sword with me, the girl seemed to assume I was going to be her opponent. She wasn’t completely wrong. I closed my eyes and weaved my mana into thin threads of light. My mana pool was still a mess, but luckily, [Minor Illusion] wasn’t as mana intensive as the mana blade or the mana shield.
“I’m ready, Rob!” Firana replied with a smug voice.
I was going to start with a small Black Wolf, but I couldn’t let Firana’s hubris go unpunished. I focused on my mana pool for a moment, then, I summoned the projection of a life size Wendigo in the middle of the ballroom.
Unlike my previous illusions, this one had proper color, and it looked mean.
Firana’s eyes shot open and the sword slipped from her hands.
Comments
The Magician
This is terrorism. You can't just pop up a wendigo
Art
lol good stuff Elra
