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An Otherworldly Scholar - 15 [EXTENDED]
🕑 Added 2023-06-09 22:02:36 +0000 UTCAN: Added an extra scene at the end :)
“You are in charge, Ilya.” I handed the wooden spoon to the gnome girl and followed Elincia out of the kitchen. She guided me through the long corridor with a view to the inner courtyard into the sleeping quarters. As I followed her, I was able to take a look at the orphanage’s small farm. The state of the plants was pitiful and I couldn’t see any yields.
Elincia guided me into her bedroom, leaving the door open. As I hesitated about leaving it open or not, she crossed the room and collapsed on her bed. I decided to close it.
“I know I said you were always welcome here but… what the fuck.” Elincia threw daggers at me with her eyes.
From all kinds of reactions, I wasn’t expecting this one.
She might have seen something on my face because she quickly apologized.
“Sorry, I'm just scared. If something looks too good it’s probably a scam or a trap… not saying you are a grifter or anything.” Elincia said as she sat on the bed and buried her face in her hands.
After a moment, she raised again. Her eyes were red and her nose runny. Despite what she had said before parting ways, she didn’t seem to have things under control.
“Is everything okay?” I tentatively asked.
“No, I have failed as a governess. The orphanage is going through a crisis, winter is coming, we barely have any food left, and I think Holst sabotaged us before leaving… but that’s none of your business. You should be on a caravan traveling to the capital right now.” Elincia sniffled and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her shirt before taking a deep breath. It was the first time I had seen Elincia so vulnerable. She seemed to be at the brink of breaking down.
“Holst sabotaged the orphanage? What happened?” I asked, wondering if I should sit by Elincia’s side at the bed or at the desk. I went to the desk.
My findings about the Marquis intentions had to wait.
The sun was about to disappear behind the mountains and the sky was dyed red and purple. Elincia hesitated for a moment but in the end she took a deep breath and spoke sincerely.
“I think Holst ruined our farm and released our chickens on purpose before leaving.”
It was like opening up a cork. Elincia started speaking and didn’t stop. She explained to me how Holst had ordered the older orphans to stop taking care of the farm under the excuse of renovating the garden. Within the same timeframe, the chickens had mysteriously disappeared from the coop, even if the birds didn’t leave the manor grounds even when they roamed free.
Slowly, a picture formed in my mind. The words of the Marquis, the warning from Captain Kiln. Even without [Awareness] the pieces of the puzzle fall in place with ease. If I was right, Holst’s betrayal ran deeper than Elincia imagined.
“You morally bankrupt motherfucker!” I suddenly jumped on my feet.
Elincia gave me a quizzical look and I realized I was cursing in English. My mastery over Common wasn’t so thorough for me to elicit a satisfactory curse. Cursing in one’s native tongue just hits differently.
“Royal tax collection is soon, isn't it?” I sat down abruptly, making the chair whine under my weight.
“Next week. Why?” Elincia replied.
“You are not going to like hearing this but, I think the Marquis want to force the orphans to get into the army.” I said.
Then, I told Elincia about what had happened during my visit to the Great Hall. About the Marquis’ scheme to avoid taxes by using orphans as a bargaining chip. About the warning Captain Kiln had given me before kicking me out of the Great Hall. Elincia kept quiet, nodding from time to time as I told her the story. I decided to not tell her about the letter of recommendation I had turned down for the sake of staying in Farcrest.
When I finished the story, she just nodded.
“It all makes sense now. Holst is the Marquis’ cousin, of course he knew what the Marquis was plotting. They were accomplices!” Elincia jumped from her bed and walked in circles around the room like an imprisoned cat. “But it doesn’t make sense. The army can only conscript people with classes and the kids aren’t fifteen yet. They can’t legally take them.”
Elincia suddenly stopped.
“The Marquis is probably betting you are willing to let orphans go to reduce the amount of mouths to feed.” I said, closing my eyes and massaging my temples in a vain attempt to calm myself.
The Marquis was contesting the first spot in my list of mortal enemies. It was almost poetic, two shotgun shells, two flimsy excuses of human beings to be deleted from God’s green Earth. Or it was System’s green world on this side of the portal?
“Motherfucker! I’m gonna kill him! No. I’m gonna slaughter him!” Elincia kicked a stool across the room and let out a small scream of pain and frustration.
That was more like the Elincia I knew, however, violence wasn’t going to bring anything good to the orphanage. Not with the Marquis sights on us. I scratched my chin, deep in thought. The royal tax collection was in a week, which meant the Marquis was going to try to abduct them and conscript them into the army sooner than later.
Taking the older kids to the Farlands until past the tax collection period might be an option. I let [Awareness] fill my brain with information, opening avenues of thought I couldn’t open by myself. Could the kids survive in the Farlands? Did they have any useful skills? Could they even learn skills before getting a Class?
As my eyes met Elincia’s, I pulled back the reins on [Awareness]. Once again, I was getting ahead of myself trying to solve a problem that wasn’t my responsibility. Maybe the problem was mine to solve from a moral perspective but in the practice, Elincia was the one calling the shots. It was her orphanage and her kids after all.
“The Marquis is going to try to take the kids from us.” I said. “I don’t think he will come in person, but he might send guardsmen here. You know, guardsmen with actual combat classes unlike us.”
Elincia didn’t hesitate a second.
“Then I’m going to shoot every guard through the skull, one by one, until there is no one left.” Elincia barked back at me as she continued to walk from side to side like a caged feline.
Something on Elincia’s face told me she was absolutely prepared to fight to the last consequences. Despite the fire in her eyes and the violence oozing from her words, Elincia suddenly stopped. Something clicked inside her brain.
“Wait. Us? What are you talking about?”
“Actually, I came here looking for a job.” I grinned. The prospect of wrecking Holst’s plans only made the job even more desirable.
Elincia opened her mouth to say something but closed it instantly. She looked like a fish out of the water. After being verbally mocked by the woman during the last few days, seeing her puzzled and disoriented expression was a sight for sore eyes.
“Denied. You are taking your scholarly ass to the Imperial Library.” Elincia stopped pacing around and sat across the desk. “With all the mana you have you would be a powerful Sage very soon. Every support class dreams of becoming a combat class.”
Suddenly, I was the one gaping like a fish out of the water.
“Bad news, Miss Governess. I turned down a recommendation letter from the Marquis itself so I’d say that the bridge is already burnt.” I said with a defiant voice. “I don’t want to become a Sage. I want to teach.”
Elincia gave me an irritated glance.
“More reasons to not employ you. First, you are an idiot. Second, you really are an idiot and your mother probably dropped you on your head when you were a baby.” Elincia crossed her arms and glared at me as if I had just insulted her whole maternal line up to the mitochondrial Eve of this world.
Elincia was sweet in her own, strange way.
“You don’t need to worry about me, Elincia. I know the risks of staying at the orphanage.” I smiled.
“Who says I’m worried about you?” Elincia replied defensively.
I couldn’t help myself but laugh at the situation. Despite both of us being adults, Elincia had decided I needed to be protected just like the rest of orphans. Watching her maternal sense in action felt strange considering her usually wild personality. It fit with her nonetheless.
“I would love to teach your kids, Elincia.” I said.
“I don’t have money to pay you a salary.” Elincia replied.
“I don’t need a salary, just a dry place to sleep.”
“The roof is leaking.”
“I’d sleep under the bed then.”
“Why?” Elincia finally asked.
The sun had set behind the mountains and the bushes and trees outside the window casted shadows over the desk. I could barely see Elincia’s expression anymore, just her shiny cat-like eyes.
“My father used to say the same thing to me over and over, everytime I acted like an idiot. ‘Robert, you are a man not because of the thing that hangs between your legs but due to your actions’.” I said.
Elincia giggled. “I like your father already.”
“The thing is, I can’t go to the Imperial Library knowing what the Marquis is plotting, knowing that you are struggling, Elincia.”
Elincia seemed to blush but I couldn’t be sure with the shadows covering her face. I blushed too, despite how cool my words sounded in my mind, I couldn't help but feel that the execution was on the lame side.
“Okay, I’m listening. You have a plan, don’t you?” Elincia said.
She sounded cheerful?
A plan was brewing in my mind indeed.
“I want to avoid the kid’s conscription for good. I want to send them to the Imperial Knights Academy.” I said as a wide smile was drawn on my face.
The idea had come to me after seeing Sir Janus whipping Lord Tirno’s ass during the duel. If I could manage to get the orphans accepted at the Imperial Knights Academy, then they’ll be safe from the Marquis’ plans at least during their stay at the Academy.
Elincia had to blink repeatedly before speaking.
“You lost your mind. No lowborn had passed the exams ever!”
“Sir Janus did.” I replied.
Elincia embraced her shoulders as if she was protecting herself from something invisible. Her head fell into her chest and a cascade of platinum hair covered her face, only leaving her pointy ears visible.
“No, don’t give me false hopes. Maybe Firana and Wolf would’ve had a chance if they were properly trained, but Zaon and Ilya… elves mature later than humans and gnomes aren’t known for their combat capabilities.” Elincia shook her head, refusing to entertain any hope.
“With hard work and effective methods I believe it's possible.” I cut her off with a stern voice. I felt the need to hug her but what she really needed was to understand my words. “The Scholars of the City of Light have been discussing the optimal way of educating our kids for over two and a half millennia. During that time, we have discovered one or two truths about teaching.”
“I just don’t know. You just appeared from thin air speaking about those grandiose things… and I just don’t know.” Elincia became small, sitting on the edge of the seat and clutching her own arms.
I summoned my character sheet and tried to make it visible just like Abei had done with his. It was as easy as thinking about turning it around. In exchange, I felt like an idiot for not figuring it out earlier.
Name: Robert Clarke, Human.
Class: Scholar Lv.12
Titles: Lonely Boy, Hot for Teacher, Confidant, Classroom Fiend, Favorite Teacher (96), Father Figure (2), Master Tutor, Silver Scholar, Delinquent Reformer (5), Stalwart Mentor (7), Role Model, Expert Mathematician, Expert Physicist, Adept Historian, Adept Linguist, Journeyman Biologist, Novice Chemist, Novice Orator.
Passive: Swordsmanship Lv.5, Mana Manipulation, Awareness, Master of Languages.
Skills: Identify, Stun Gaze.
Status: Denial Lv.4 (Temporary), Sadistic Haggler Lv.1 (Temporary).
“Elincia, please, look at my titles. I know what I’m talking about.” I pleaded, overlooking the fact that years had passed since the last time I entered a classroom as a teacher.
Elincia obeyed, slowly raising her head and tucking her hair behind her ear. Elven ears seemed to be particularly efficient for hair holding but I stopped [Awareness] before it feeded me more useless information.
“So, you fell in love with one of your teachers?” Elincia asked in a shy voice.
A rush of blood besieged my face.
“Please focus on my academic titles. Falling in love with a teacher is a Scholar thing, almost a mandatory part of our class.” I tried to deflect Elincia’s attention, hoping the darkness of the room hid my blushing face.
You have obtained Denial Lv.5. Temporary.
“Oh. It went up.” Elincia nonchalantly pointed out just to profusely apologize a second later after seeing my embarrassed expression.
I immediately wished I knew how to hide information just like Abei had done when he showed me his character sheet. The man had shown me only his level and his titles.
As Elincia continued reading my titles, she couldn’t hide her surprise for long.
“Ninety-six instances of Favorite Teacher, Master Tutor, Silver Scholar AND Lv.5 Swordsmanship? What in the everloving System are you?” Elincia stood up and covered the distance that separated us to stare directly at my character sheet. She was so close I could feel her floral aroma.
“You are making me feel self conscious, lady.” I said.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll show you my System Summary so we are even.” Elincia avoided my eyes despite how close we were. “But only this once.”
Name: Elincia Rosebud, Half-Elf (Light-Footed, Night Vision).
Class: Alchemist Lv.26
Titles: Governess, Wild Child, Bad Reputation, Loner, Copper Alchemist, Favorite Teacher (5)
Passive: Archery Lv.3, Tracking Lv.5, Farsight Lv.1, Foraging Lv.5
Skills: Potion Crafting Lv.3, True Shot Lv.1, Piercing Shot Lv.1.
Status: Hopelessness Lv.5 (Receding), Embarrassment Lv.2 (Temporary)
Elincia’s face quickly blushed and her eyes anxiously wandered across the room. I was tempted to use [Identify] on her titles for further detail but as suddenly as it had appeared, Elincia’s character sheet disappeared.
Only then I realized how intimate the moment had been. Intimate in a weird way, at least, like holding hands with your middle school crush for the first time.
You have obtained Embarrassment Lv.1 Temporary. [Identify] If you show me yours, I'll show you mine.
As was already my custom, I ignored the System prompt and focused on Elincia’s ‘System Summary’. Asking about her [Bad Reputation] title did not seem the most chivalrous thing to do given the circumstances.
“The Marquis is a prideful man. When he finds out we are trying to send the kids to the Imperial Academy he is going to try to stop us at all costs.” Elincia said.
“Have a little more confidence, Elincia. You have raised them well.” I replied.
Zaon wasn’t the only one with serious doubts about his own capabilities.
Elincia let out a sigh of relief. “Alright. I will employ you until the Imperial Academy exam. May the System guide us.” She tiredly smiled before speaking again.
“How much time do we have, by the way?”
Elincia gave me a look of disbelief and I had to admit my plan had a few holes in it.
“All of autumn and winter. Zaon, Ilya, Firana, and Wolf will be fifteen by then, so this is our only chance.” Elincia said.
“Leave it in the hands of Robert ‘Wendigo-slayer’ Clarke and you won’t be disappointed.” I said with a radiant smile, not really knowing the origin of such confidence.
Elincia rolled her eyes but ended up giggling.
“Alright, Mr Manly Man, let's go back to the kitchen before the kids start suspecting anything.” She smiled back.
As we entered the kitchen, we were illuminated by four washed-out orbs similar to the ones at the Marquis audience hall. The kids were sitting at the tables in complete silence, too focused on the food to notice our presence. Or maybe they saw us but didn’t care about our grandiose entrance.
Elincia elbowed me in silence and pointed at the snakefolk kids who sipped the soup directly from the bowl with their long snouts. Her smile was like summer, fresh breeze, and crystalline water. For the first time since I arrived at the orphanage, her face and shoulders relaxed, erasing for a moment her human heritage and bringing out her elven side.
Despite her weary face, she was beautiful.
I sat at the end of the table and Elincia put a bowl of steaming soup in front of me.
Robert’s Stone Soup. [Identify] Edible. Should’ve supervised the hand washing better. It’s warm.
“It boiled.” I shrugged my shoulders and dipped the wooden spoon.
The soup was okay, it lacked proper seasoning and the taste of the poultry was so vague I had to close my eyes to even imagine it. Across the table, Elincia savored the soup as if it was the tastiest thing on earth. She closed her eyes and the corner of her lips raised in satisfaction.
I guessed the soup wasn’t that bad after all.
Suddenly, Shu appeared next to us, bowl in hand. Her eyes were full of tears.
“This is the tastiest food I have ever eaten. Can I have more?” The harpy girl sniffed.
“Of course, sweety.” Elincia replied, grabbing the bowl from Shu’s hands and walking towards the pot. “You are quite the cook, Mister Clarke.”
“It was a joint effort, everyone helped with the ingredients.” I replied, giving due credit to everyone involved in the activity. The orphans seemed to awaken from their lethargy and started naming the ingredients they had chosen out loud.
Elincia smiled and handed out compliments about the picks of every orphan. I limited myself to observing, fading away into the background. Elincia, the governess, was gentle, warm, and kind. She had a caress or friendly word for every orphan. And the kids seemed to adore her.
Most of the orphans wanted seconds so Elincia had to pour more water into the mix.
As the orphans demolished the second plate, they started to doze off in their seats. Despite being well past their bedtime, some of them were still stubbornly gripping their spoons as their heads wobbled back and forth.
Elincia herded them to the bedroom leaving me alone with Zaon and Ilya. Without further input, they started picking up the dirty dishes and piling them near the water barrel.
“Leave the dishes to me. You two did a great job with the soup, the veggies were on point and the thickness was perfect.” I said, jumping to my feet and realizing how tired I was.
Zaon shook his head and raised his palms as he tried to find the right words.
“The ingredients were good, we didn’t do anything special.” He said in a bashful tone.
“Come on, Zaon. I have tasted the most foul food made of the greatest ingredients and seasonings the City of Light has to offer. Do not underestimate your own abilities.” I said as I took the bowls from their hands. Zaon and Ilya looked as tired as the rest of the orphans but refused to go to bed. Instead they sat back on the table.
“Are you going to stay at the orphanage?” Ilya asked after a moment of silence.
“You would like me to stay?” I replied.
Ilya closed her eyes and massaged her temples just as Elincia used to do. Then, she frowned to the point her two thick eyebrows almost touched.
“If you make Miss Elincia smile like you did today then I would like you to stay.” Ilya replied. “Despite the fact you are a Scholar.”
For an instant, I didn’t know what to say.
“A good bowl of soup makes everyone smile. If Miss Elincia was happy today it was because of your hard work, not because of me.”
My [Teacher’s Bullshido] took control of my tongue but my hands didn’t cooperate. The bowls appeared to have a life of their own because they suddenly slipped out of my hands and fell in every conceivable direction.
Ilya raised an eyebrow and I focused on cleaning the bowls.
For the first time since I arrived in this world I had a moment of peace. No rabid monsters, no dangerous wilderness, no sudden meetings with local nobility, no haggling, no nothing. Just me, the dirty wooden bowls and the quiet conversation between Zaon and Ilya behind me.
How long has passed since I arrived in this world? It couldn’t be more than a week but it felt like much more, months even. In a couple days I had more adventure than all my life combined. Unlike the time I worked at the office, I felt alive now. Tired, bruised, sore, and poorer than ever, but alive nonetheless.
I looked over my shoulder at the two sleepy orphans sitting at the table, wondering if I could uphold my promise of getting them accepted at the Knights Academy. Zaon was too short for his age and his delicate frame didn’t seem suitable for wearing heavy armor. Ilya didn’t have the appearance of a promising fighter either; the gnome girl barely reached my waist despite being the same age as Zaon.
Thinking like Holst wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Zaon had the desire to become a Knight and Ilya had enough character to rival a whole debate team. Just that was more than enough to start working.
Zaon stood on a stool by my side and pulled out two hidden bowls of soup from behind a sack of barley. Considering how thick the soup was, I assumed it belonged to the first batch, before Elincia thinned it to serve seconds.
“Are you still hungry?” I asked, pointing at the bowls.
Hiding food from the rest of the orphans didn’t seem like an honest move but I waited before making any judgment. Zaon didn’t seem like the kind of person who put his needs before the needs of the group.
“I separated these for Firana and Wolf.” Zaon said, leaving them over the counter.
“You shouldn’t have saved one for Firana.” Ilya complained with a grumpy tone. “She dipped on us as soon as Miss Elincia went out for food, and she was supposed to help us look after the small ones.”
The more I heard Ilya talking, the more she reminded me of Elincia. A smaller, more judgemental, and gnomish version of Elincia. Voicing strong opinions seemed natural for both of them.
“Don’t say that, Ilya. Firana also needs to eat.” Zaon said but Ilya wasn’t having any of it.
“Don’t defend her, you know very well she would leave the orphanage if it depended on her.” Ilya angrily said, crossing her arms over her chest in a defiant pose.
“I don't want to fight.”
“You choose to fight when you put a bowl of soup aside for her.” Ilya retorted.
Zaon’s shoulders sank as he gave me a pleading glance to intervene.
“Who is Firana?” I asked. If I was going to teach these kids, I should start by getting to know them.
“A nuisance.” Ilya instantly replied before Zaon could silence her.
After another minute of back and forth between the two orphans, I was finally informed that Firana was a human girl the same age as Zaon and Ilya. Unlike them, who had lived in the orphanage their whole lives, Firana had lived there only for the last two years.
“I get that we’re all orphans, but Firana isn’t helpful. She always goes off on her own no matter what Miss Elincia says, and she is fast and strong so there isn’t much we can do to stop her.” Ilya said with an exasperated voice, putting a strand of hair behind her pointy ear.
I just nodded, picking that piece of information with a grain of salt. As a teacher it was good to be prepared to take a new class but preconceptions were a dangerous thing. Teachers ended up expecting too much from ‘good’ students and too little from ‘bad’ students.
“I’m sure Firana has her reasons to be the way she is.” I tried to be conciliatory.
“Yeah, the reason being she was Holst's favorite student. She could do whatever she wanted without being scolded.” Ilya replied bluntly.
“It’s ‘Mister Holst’, Ilya.” Zaon interrupted her just to earn a look of contempt from the gnome girl.
Ilya ignored Zaon and continued talking.
“Firana still believes Holst is coming back but I hope he doesn’t. If I’m going to end up in the army I want my last year here to be as peaceful as it can.” Ilya said between yawn and yawn.
The light from the orbs was getting weaker by the second and the orphanage was in complete silence except from the occasional gust of wind whistling against the shingles. I wondered how it was for Zaon and Ilya to look after the younger kids for a whole week, not knowing if Elincia was going to get back alive.
“It’s getting late, go to bed you two.” I said. “You have done more than enough.”
Ilya nodded and walked to the door dragging her feet. Zaon followed her closely.
“Good night, Mister Clarke.” They said in unison.
“Good night, kids.” I replied.
Alone with my own thoughts,
Having them accepted in the Imperial Academy was going to be hard, and if Ilya’s warning was real, I also had to fight against Firana’s and Wolf’s defiance. Bring it on. I was used to fighting against classes of more than twenty students, four couldn’t be that bad.
Comments
Elra
roger roger!
Dame
Otherwise Good chapter, I loved it. And F*ck "Master" Holst!
Dame
I would use "all though they never left the manor grounds" to make it clearer that they should not be entirely gone. As written, I had the belief that they were out of the coop, but still in the in the yard. This makes it clearer that they were entirely gone.
