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An Otherworldly Scholar - 84
🕑 Added 2023-12-23 01:26:01 +0000 UTC“Slow down, Firana! You are going to hurt yourself!” I said as the girl performed a reckless feint attack against Wolf. Ilya, Zaon, and I were cramped on the big stump, watching the match.
Firana ignored my orders and pushed herself to the limit, but not the usual way. It seemed she wanted to beat Wolf in a pure strength competition. I sighed, hoping her wrist put up to the abuse. My instructions at the beginning of the session had been clear: we would have an extended lesson at half the usual intensity.
“Firana! Mind the technique, not the strength!” I yelled again.
“She won’t hear you, but a Health Potion will fix her if she gets hurt,” Ilya said thoughtfully. “After living with Firana for a while, one knows nobody can control her. It’s better to plan for the aftermath.”
“Right,” I replied, not at all surprised by Ilya’s pragmatic approach. At least the two girls had been getting along despite their differences.
Despite living at the orphanage for months, my brain occasionally failed to adjust to this world's rules. Healing magic was a thing, and high-grade Health Potions were strong enough to heal even a pierced muscle. Even if the kids injured themselves days before the tournament, a potion would get them in shape in a couple of days.
Tomorrow was Ilya’s birthday, so I had called it a day off for everyone.
“Go all out if you want, Firana!” I yelled.
The fencing mask hid Wolf’s expression, but I guessed it was a happy one. Firana was the nearest thing to an orc in the orphanage, and Wolf needed to get used to his new strength. If the boy wanted to return to the tribes, the least I could do was to send him prepared to fight monsters.
“When Wolf gets tired, you are replacing him, Zaon,” I said as Firana and Wolf cranked up the cadence of the fight.
“Yes, Mister Clarke,” the elven boy replied.
I expected him to be discouraged at the prospect of fighting a frantic Firana. The fight against the thieves had been a hurdle to Zaon’s self-confidence, but its effect had been short-lived. Zaon’s current positive attitude was almost comical, considering his previously doubtful demeanor. I wonder if the meeting with Risha had also contributed to his good mood.
Elincia reacted maturely at the news of Holst’s appearance in Farcrest. I wondered if she would react the same now that Risha was around.
I decided to give Risha a few days to gather information about Kellaren, but not for his sake. I wanted Elincia to know the whole truth before making a decision.
For now, I wanted to focus on my kids. After a minute, Zaon entered the fight, and Wolf went to the well to refresh himself. The whole group seemed more adult. Except for Firana. Maybe.
“Are you nervous for tomorrow, Ilya?” I asked.
“Who gets nervous for a birthday?” Ilya replied.
I'd be nervous if I had to choose the Class that would stick with me for life. A Class that would determine my social position and overall potential.
“There’s nothing shameful about feeling nervous,” I said.
“I mean it. Really. Whenever I feel uneasy, I do the meditation exercises you taught me,” Ilya replied. “My mana pool remains the same, but I can do a couple more tricks now. It’s handy to entertain the little ones.”
Ilya cupped her hands, and a small swirl of blue mana slowly gained momentum. Then, she shaped a small bird, a bit rough at the edges but convincing nonetheless. I was impressed. I’ve always credited my proficiency to shape mana to the great amounts of available magic inside me. The fact Ilya could do it with a smaller mana pool was impressive.
“I think I can throw off my opponent if I make my sword appear bigger. I can also intimidate him if I cover my sword in a blue hue so they think I have a mana blade,” Ilya said, grabbing her longsword and channeling her mana into the blade. It wasn’t as bright as mine, but an unsuspecting opponent might fall for it. At least once.
“Try to create several daggers and point them forward. Like this,” I said, summoning half a dozen illusory mana blades over my shoulders and around my head.
Ilya closed her eyes, and the mana left her sword. Creating an illusion far from the body was more challenging than surrounding the blade with mana. After a moment, Ilya shaped four long daggers like a halo over her shoulders, ready to shoot forward at any moment.
“If your opponent is too aggressive and you need space, this might work,” I said. “Now, try to choreograph a fake attack.”
“Wasn’t choreographing a bad thing?” Ilya asked.
“Not when you are trying to trick your opponent,” I replied.
Ilya nodded and made the daggers move slightly backward as if they were preparing to shoot forward. The illusion was nearly perfect, but it would only work once before the rival teams realized Ilya only used illusions. We needed to expand her repertoire and introduce some genuine skills into the mix. Everything would depend on the Class she acquired.
“Should we try to deceive the opponent, though? Isn’t that unsportsmanlike conduct?” Ilya asked after dispelling the knives.
“All war is based on deception,” I replied.
Ilya gave me a suspicious look. “Aren’t you supposed to teach us to be sincere and hardworking?”
“You can announce to your opponent where you will hit next if you want,” I grinned.
Ilya sighed as if I was the most lame adult in the kingdom.
“Would you like to go tomorrow to unlock your Class?” I asked. Elincia had told me that the Church had a high-level System Zealot stationed in every big city without a proper System Shrine to unlock people’s Class early.
Ilya fiddled with her fingers. “Let’s go early, before the party.”
“You’ll do good, Ilya. I have met hundreds of kids, and none of them were as dependable and strong-willed as you,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “Don’t think I have forgotten about that time you stitched my wounds when Elincia was too nervous to hold the needle.”
“That wasn’t much,” Ilya shrugged.
I shook my head. “It was a lot. You almost became my favorite student just for that.”
Ilya rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.
“When Holst taught at the orphanage, some days I wanted to join the practice with the rest. I was scared of what he would say if I asked to join. Part of me knew I would never become a competent fencer, but still, I wanted to try,” Ilya said, then she took a deep breath and slowly blew for his mouth. “I’m not scared about tomorrow. Even if I get a subpar class, I still have Lv.1 [Longsword Mastery].”
“Let’s cross our fingers so you can get the Hunter Class tomorrow,” I smiled.
“How would crossing your fingers help? Is that some sort of spell?” Ilya raised an eyebrow.
“It’s just a figure of speech.” I sighed. Some things didn’t translate well, no matter how hard I tried. “Well, Firana seems to be out of steam. Your turn now.”
Ilya nodded and grabbed her sword.
“Remember what we talked about, Ilya!” I yelled from the sideline.
Ilya gave me a mischievous glance and summoned the illusory knives.
* * *
The idea of slowing down and enjoying my free time with Elincia had been nothing but an illusion. After the sparring session ended, Elincia kidnapped my sweaty class and crammed an extra manners lesson on top of all the daily chores. As I would be dealing with nobility in the near future, Elincia made me participate too.
When I thought everything was done, Ginz invited me to his makeshift workshop to work on the schematics of a steam engine. Our progress was modest at best because of the pile of orders he was already working on. An anonymous buyer had even requested a really saucy deck of cards. As the sun hid beneath the mountains, I brought some light stones to the workshop and helped Ginz lacquer the cards until it was late at night.
After hours of monotonous work, we finished his most pressing orders. We said our good nights, and I left Ginz’s bedroom. The orphanage was in complete silence. I raised the light stone over my head to illuminate my steps. I walked slowly, not to wake the kids. Then, I noticed I didn’t need such precautions due to my [Light Footed] and [Night Vision].
I put the light stone in my pocket and walked silently as a shadow down the corridor, thinking about Ilya’s birthday. The book of Classes didn’t paint Soldiers and Archers as good classes. I was worried that a lousy Class would weigh more than any skill Ilya could show off at the tournament.
My train of thought was interrupted by men arguing outside the manor. Suddenly, all the accumulated fatigue left my body as adrenaline surged. I zipped down the corridor without making a sound. When I reached the bedroom, Elincia was already on her feet, dressed in her nightgown with the shotgun strapped to her chest. I made a gesture for her to remain silent and follow me.
In the corridor, Ginz awaited us, gripping a brass candlestick.
“Stay here, Ginz. If the kids wake up, tell them to return to sleep. If something happens outside, lock yourself in the bedroom. Loki will protect you all,” I whispered.
“Who is Loki?” Ginz nervously asked.
“Our sleepy Changeling,” I replied.
“You are joking, right? We don’t have a monster living in the orphanage, right? Right?”
Without time to argue, I formed a slim mana barrier before me and walked, followed by Elincia, to the main door. Outside, I could hear at least four distinct voices. Although the angle wasn’t perfect, I managed to get a glimpse of the intruders through the corridor’s window. Three young men dressed in Guardsmen armor argued with the old guard who had arrived hours earlier to replace the day shift.
“I’m telling you, we were ordered to relieve you of your duties. We will stand guard for the rest of the night,” a tall, young guard at the head of the group said with a commanding voice. Nothing in his uniform revealed a higher rank than the veteran guard at the door.
“I haven’t received such orders,” the old guard replied with a neutral, almost bored tone.
“Well, I’m relaying the orders to you now,” the young one raised his voice even more.
“I heard you the first time, kid. My response is the same. Unless my direct superior orders me to fuck off, I’m staying put,” the old guard replied, pointing with his chin towards the iron gate. “There’s plenty of space in the front yard; you can stand guard there. I’ll stand guard here, next to the door.”
The discussion continued as I exchanged a quizzical look with Elincia.
“This is suspicious,” I whispered as the scene unfolded at the other side of the door. The way the young group of guards pressed the veteran to leave rubbed me the wrong way. It reminded me of my first days at the orphanage, when the city guard was upon us despite Captain Kiln not having ordered any move against us.
The whole situation was suspicious indeed.
Then, the realization hit me. There was a pattern behind the guard’s actions, even if it was far fetched. First, Raudhan Kiln’s attempt to take the kids. Then, the group of guardsmen who had entered the manor’s grounds to spy on us during the night. Finally, the harassment I had been a victim of during my first visit to Captain Kiln. Young recruits had perpetrated all instances of violence against the orphanage. On the other hand, veteran guardsmen were fair and polite to me.
“I think Captain Kiln is losing control over the guard,” I whispered.
Kellaren instantly popped into my mind; the man was greedy and ambitious. He was also cunning and had the Aias family’s network at his disposal. If he wanted to undermine Captain Kiln’s authority, he had the means. But why? To become the Captain of the Guard himself? It made sense for the Marquis to want a strong right hand with the constant menace of Monster Surges hanging over the city. Kellaren only needed Firana to cement his position as the regent of a famous family.
Not knowing where the attack came from made me nervous.
Other possibilities included Lord Tirno or any minor noble within the Marquis's retinue. A place as Captain of the Guard would benefit anyone who wanted to strengthen their ties with the high nobility. Even Sir Janus could use the extra pull from being Captain of the Guard to secure an advantageous marriage into a noble house.
I shook my head. It didn’t make sense for Sir Janus to become Captain of the Guard of a distant city like Farcrest. His name was already legendary among the nobility and peasantry alike, and the title of Imperial Knight was something very few could flaunt. Captain of the Guard would add very little to his resume.
And there was the fact that Janus preferred to drink than to work. Being a captain wouldn’t suit him. It didn’t help to be paranoid. One way or another, I needed to contact Captain Kiln as soon as possible.
The sound of metal against stone brought me back to reality. I opened the door and saw the young guard sitting on his butt over the stone path. The veteran seemed to have pushed him back because nobody was wounded, nor were there drawn weapons.
“What’s this commotion?!” I angrily yelled as I stepped outside.
Half of the work of a teacher was being a credible actor, and my [Classroom Fiend] achievement was proof enough of my acting skills. All eyes fell upon me. Unlike previous times, picking a fight wasn’t an option. I couldn’t jeopardize the position of the orphanage by beating a group of city guards.
“Do you know where you are, you drunk idiots? This is the Rosebud Fencing Academy!” I yelled.
Despite my appearance startling them, they didn’t seem too amused with my words. I needed them to fear the consequences of disturbing the manor. Maybe they wouldn’t fear a man in old clothing like me, but I knew the exact words to make them tremble.
“You think you can come here at midnight and disrupt my students' sleep? Just wait until Captain Kiln and Sir Janus know about this. I’m going to take this affront to the Marquis himself!” I yelled.
The young guards paled. Throwing important names into the mix during an angry tirade always worked well against lesser grunts. I smiled. The ancient art of summoning the manager worked best when the customer was in the right.
“Do you know the name of these dimwits?” I asked the veteran warrior, hoping he had picked up my cues.
“I know what squadron they belong to,” he calmly replied.
“I’m just following orders,” the young guard grunted.
I reached for my sword to deliver the verbal knockout blow just to realize I wasn’t carrying any. The guard gave me a mocking smile as he stood, believing I was a toothless dog. Scowling, I used [Minor Illusion]. Fake mana particles gathered inside my closed fist until it reached critical mass. Then, with a small yet spectacular explosion, the mana turned into a bright blue rapier.
“Rob, please don’t!” Elincia pleaded as she grabbed my arm and tried to pull me back into the manor. Her acting was good, although a little stiff.
“Let me go, woman!” I yelled. “I will not stand such disrespectful behavior towards our academy.”
The three young guardsmen backed up in silence until they got lost by the end of the street. Then, I let the illusion disappear.
“That was a nice illusion, Caretaker,” the old guardsman laughed with his coarse voice. “I’ll inform the Captain of this incident tomorrow morning; you can rest assured the manor is safe.”
“There were three of them, though,” Elincia said, still hanging from my arm.
“I have twice their level and three times the experience,” The guardsman said.
We returned to the orphanage. The kids seemed to sleep still because Ginz remained in the corridor as if nothing had happened since our departure.
“Everything is okay?” He asked.
I nodded. “Just a couple of unruly guardsmen, I hope.”
We said our goodbyes for the second time that night and returned to Elincia’s bedroom. She unloaded the shotgun and left it on top of the wardrobe, far from the kid’s hands. The mere idea of Elincia blowing a hole open in someone’s chest sent a shiver down my spine.
“They almost shat their pants when you summoned the mana blade,” Elincia smiled proudly. “For a moment, I almost believed you were going to decapitate them.”
“People really fear high levels, so I assumed a little demonstration to spread the word would be okay,” I pointed out as I removed my jacket. “I didn’t expect you to play along with my little trick.”
Elincia grabbed my hand and kissed it. The tenderness of the gesture surprised me.
“All war is based on deception,” she said.
Comments
I Dare Korval
Looks like someone is stirring up trouble, or perhaps concerned since Firana showed how skilled she was against the Captain. Things just keep getting more interesting. If the kids do too well, Rob may be in trouble with noble and/or royality wanting him to come serve them (an offer he cannot refuse type of thing).
