《Wanderer: Life in a New World》 Prologue: My God is a Calculating Bastard Prologue: My God is a Calculating Bastard ¡°Let¡¯s see here, Hugh Carters was it? Young and active soul, 42-years-old, mechanical engineer, a big world traveler, all the seven continents? not bad, what was the cause for traveling?¡­seems to be wildlife photography, that¡¯s always beautiful¡­But you died too young wouldn¡¯t you say? Well maybe not too young for your perspective but rather for mine, the question is how you died. Euthanasia, such a sad and disgusting way to go, was the lung cancer too much for? You couldn¡¯t wait around for another year or two before going out the way I had planned it out for you? Do you have anything to say for yourself?¡± In front of me there¡¯s a well-trimmed man with inquisitive eyes looking towards me. Despite his high-handed tone towards me, he actually looks younger than me by at least 20 years. So, the question is, why is a 21-year-old man treating me like a little kid why he¡¯s just sitting on the floor on top of a pillow while reading some papers. Might as well keep the talk for now and see if I can get some answers, because as this man says, I should be dead. ¡°N-no, I don¡¯t believe I do, but rather who are you and where am I?¡± ¡°Ah, excuse me where are my manners. I am God, or rather the God of your world¡± ¡°The God of my world?¡± ¡°Indeed, did you truly believe that there was no such thing as God or even worse that there aren¡¯t multiple worlds like yours? Stop fanning your ego and look objectively at me.¡± ¡°From my perspective it seems like you¡¯re the one boosting your own ego. But even if you tell me that you¡¯re God, isn¡¯t still a bit farfetched to believe?¡± ¡°*Sigh* I suppose you¡¯re right but I¡¯ll use two things to make it clear right now. First, look where you are at right now, this is God¡¯s office but for you, this is Purgatorium. Welcome to the afterlife and don¡¯t too used to it because your judgement is yet to come, hence why you¡¯re being bathed by my presence. Second, see these papers? These are your life records, everything that was ever in your life¡¯s history, it¡¯s here. I only listed some of your crucial moments that controlled your late life, but if you need further proof I also know how you cancelled your marriage plans or your abnormal love for Japanese media, shall I continue?¡± With a semiserious but teasing tone, the self-proclaimed God revealed two things that are close to my heart but not many love. Of course, I know this is not enough to prove those are my life records, but just thinking about my failed love life it brings nothing but inner pain. ¡°Please don¡¯t, I¡¯ll listen to what you have to say but I beg of you, don¡¯t talk about my marriage again.¡± ¡°¡­Understood, at least you seem to understand a bit better. I¡¯ll say I¡¯m sorry, but whether you believe my apology to be honest or not is up to you.¡± When he said that, his eyes were closed and he lowered his in a form of apology. ¡°It¡¯s fine, so what is it that the God of Earth needed with the idiot that asked to be killed? If I remember correctly, God doesn¡¯t like people who take away their own lives¡± ¡°Indeed, in all honesty I¡¯m disgusted of having to see you in front of me right now. However, the way you lived your life and how this one ended is one so unfair that you¡¯re chosen to get a second chance.¡± ¡°A second chance?¡± ¡°Yes, in a way I¡¯m acting upon my powers to choose you to become a Wanderer.¡± ¡°Why would I be given a second chance out of the billions of people on Earth, and what¡¯s a Wanderer?¡± ¡°One question at a time please. To start with, why were you of all people be given a second chance¡­do you have any ideas as to why?¡± ¡°¡­absolutely none¡­¡± ¡°Well you should think a little bit higher for yourself then, especially for that greed you hold within you¡± ¡°Greed?¡± ¡°Yes, greed. Although it is part of the 7 Great Sins, greed is the only reason why anybody gets an audience with me. Sure everyone has greed, after all, greed is the driving force of all life, but it is the way that greed materializes and what that person has the greed for that makes them different. The source of your greed however, is comparatively clean, your greed isn¡¯t one after money or fame, and it isn¡¯t even a greed linked to the other sins like lust or hunger. Your greed is the dissatisfaction of having to asked to be killed to take the burden from your family members, your greed is weakness that the goal you set out to do with your hobby was never accomplished, and most of all, pardon me for bringing it up again, your greed is for not living a fulfilling life with a wife and raising a kid. You¡¯re a very greedy person, but you hold the type of greed that is welcomed in my eyes. The greed that at one point in time it life to sprout and evolve in your Earth.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. What? Did you think because I was God, evolution never existed? Hell no, I gave your planet the push for life to happen and I guided it until it reached the where you are now, my final goal was a sentient race that I could interact with, it just so happens that human beings were the first ones to achieve my goal¡­Does that answer your question of why you¡¯re chosen for a second chance?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit overwhelmed but yeah I understand now. But what is a Wanderer?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting to that, for someone who is already dead you sure are in a rush¡­A Wanderer is someone that has had the fortune of being given a second chance. They are called Wanderers because their souls have moved on from their original bodies and they¡¯ve taken home in a new body. How a Wanderer chooses to live their new life is up to them, but I¡¯ve yet to see a case that the soul didn¡¯t improve their previous life choices. That isn¡¯t to say all are good, because for some their improvement meant to become assassins and thieves; how you choose to live your new life is up to you, but remember, you only get one chance to do this. Does that answer your question?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah it does, thank you very much. So what am I supposed to do now?¡± ¡°Fufu, I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re up to speed with it all. Well now I¡¯ll ask you a few questions and these will help me decide where to send you to.¡± ¡°There are multiple options?¡± ¡°Of course there are, there are planets where the sciences of your world are advanced by centuries, while other planets are ones that you could see as in a typical fantasy novel from your world. Along with that, there are planets controlled by a different sentient race, while in others all of them coexist. It¡¯s really fun actually, so before I ask any questions, do you have a preference?¡± ¡°So I can pick anything I want and there¡¯s a world for it?¡± ¡°Well, not quite, but I can tell you that there¡¯s enough worlds out there fit almost any setting you¡¯ve seen in the entertainment media of your world.¡± ¡°¡­if I¡¯m given so many options than I don¡¯t know what to say except that I don¡¯t want something like old world and life.¡± ¡°So you want a fantasy like world? With magic and various sentient races and such? No cyberpunk or futuristic cityscape?¡± ¡°That sounds about right. So do you have any more questions to ask me or should I just leave it to your free whim?¡± ¡°Fufu, I¡¯m having fun now. Fine, I¡¯ll pick as is from what you told me, I think I have the best place for you. By the way, what would you do if I sent you to a world where there are multiple entities that are equivalent to Gods within it?¡± ¡°I¡¯d probably ask if that makes any difference, because otherwise, I¡¯d rather just avoid them.¡± ¡°Interesting. I¡¯ll give you a bit of push then, where I plan to send you, Gods are important figures that mess with the world, the complete opposite of me and Earth. However, by befriending, making them fall for you or even harder, slaying them, your lifespan gets expanded.¡± ¡°¡­Why would I be interested in slaying a God?¡± ¡°Because the moment you heard of the idea of living a longer life you started smiling¡± He was right, when I touched my face I had an almost contorted smile, one that felt like if I was a wild animal that had finally found his newest prey. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you this Hugh. After you¡¯re sent to this world, I won¡¯t be able to contact you ever again, however I can still see you since you were originally born in my world. What I¡¯m saying is, create a strong goal like this one to push you forward, if later on you change it that¡¯s fine. However, an ambitious goal is the only way to fulfill your inner greed. So, go to this world, live a new life and find a way to beat the expectations you had in your original life.¡± ¡°I understand what I benefit from, but why would you want me to take down a God?¡± ¡°I never said to take one down, however I want you to aim for them, shake the foundation of that world. It¡¯s been centuries since I last had a Wanderer appear from your/my world, and the next one will take at least 3 more millennia before she appears, so until then I want to have a great form of entertainment, i.e. you. So would you do it?¡± ¡°¡­You just want me to change the world, not do something as drastic as killing a God correct?¡± ¡°Yes, if you accept such a life, then I¡¯ll begin to send you to be reincarnated, within that period your memories will be treated and anything that is linked directly to your memories of individuals will be gone¡± ¡°Wait, so I¡¯ll lose all memories of my parents and even the woman I loved?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct, after all those will nothing but baggage once you start a new life. Do you have a problem with that? If you do, I can just lay you to rest right here and now and you¡¯ll keep those memories.¡± ¡°No¡­it¡¯s fine like that, please give me my second chance¡± ¡°Good man, then let¡¯s get started¡± When the God said that, my senses began to dull and I couldn¡¯t feel my body. A strong light appeared from beneath my feet. Within my last few conscious moments, the God said to me. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll also implant within you the necessary information of that world, after all many of the rules and ideas are different from yours. It will mostly be info about the magic and the races within the world.¡± ¡°I am grateful for that¡­is there a reason for your smirk just now¡­?¡± ¡°? Ah yes, there is a small thing. Since you will go out of your way to make everything change into this new world. I decided to give you a small handicap.¡± ¡°A handicap? What is it?¡± ¡°Oh nothing big, don¡¯t worry about it. You won¡¯t notice it in the least.¡± ¡­When he said that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel uncomfortable about it¡­well nothing I can do about it now. ¡­the light fully envelops me and my consciousness fades. Within that time, I feel things disappearing from my mind, while something new is added. My consciousness remains in a dormant state for 10 months. End of Prologue Intermission 1: The Basics of the World Intermission 1: The Basics of the World ...I¡¯ve gained consciousness, does that mean I¡¯m going to be reincarnated soon? No, it feels like I¡¯ve been forcefully woken for something else. In front of me an envelope something inside¡­it¡¯s a letter from the God. This might be the information he meant to send me. You¡¯d expect him to use something more modern or unique looking than a letter¡­ ¡°Dear Hugh¡­actually now that I think about it that might not be your name anymore a bit after you read this. Fufu, doesn¡¯t matter, but since I want to use the correct vocabulary, I¡¯ll call you Disgusting Wanderer, does that sound good? I think it does, fufu...¡± ¡­Can I please go back and punch this asshole excuse for a God at least once?!? ¡­No use in getting angry now, I¡¯ll keep reading since this will be useful information soon enough.
Moving on from the jokes for now. Despite all the kidding, I am truly glad to finally see a new Wanderer from the planet I oversee. This might sound rude since that means you¡¯re someone who¡¯s life was unfulfilled enough to be given a second chance. However, what makes me glad is that someone has been given the chance to live a better life than what they had before. As you might have noticed from my talk earlier with you, I can predict who will be a Wanderer, despite that however, I can¡¯t do anything to intervene before I meet them in person and I can¡¯t do anything to make their lives easier even after meeting, so this small window of interaction is all the time I must say thank you and I¡¯m sorry to whoever appears before me from your world. Now going back to what truly you came to read. The world I sent you to is called Eurena by the Gods like myself, however the people there just call it the Land. Land is a vast world, dare I say it¡¯s about twice the size of Earth. The scenery is quite beautiful, someone like you that loved traveling to see nature will truly love it. The world has a total of 4 continents/main landmasses, 4 oceans and an immense number of islands and other places to see. There is no such thing as one true dominant species, but a large variety of sentient beings, I¡¯m only going to list some of the major races, i.e. those with a central stronghold, I¡¯ll leave the smaller races for you to find and discover on your own. After all, it¡¯s no fun if someone else discovers everything for you. Interactions between the races isn¡¯t one of clear hatred and discrimination like the ones in the fantasies of your world. However, each race has picked a place to live with their own kind, it¡¯s fine to visit such places for the most part, be wary of the slave trade though. Because of this, acountry where all races interact and coexist has yet to be founded. The first race is Humalus, this is the race you¡¯ll be reincarnated into. Humalus is as you might expect, the regular human being from your original world. Humalus mostly live in the North-Eastern continent of Notera. Life expectations for humans is averaged around 70 to 80 years. Magic affinity is medium to high overall. Physical (muscle and brains) affinity is low to medium, but exceptions exist. The closest race to the Humalus (distance wise to the South) is the Magnoneans of the Constellation Sea, the Magnoneans are the plant people, what you would call dryads, depending on which island they live in, they¡¯ll look completely different. Think of Darwin¡¯s finches or the Caribbean anoles. Life expectations greatly vary based on the island but expect anywhere from 40 to 210 years. Magic affinity is high for elemental magics, low for any other type. Physical affinity is low overall for muscle, but low to medium for brains. In the South-Eastern continent of Sototera, the dominant race here are the Eleveneans, you probably know them as elves. They are the longest lived of the lower sentient beings, with life expectations between 300 years to a millenium independence with the tribe they hail from. Like the Magnoneans, the magic affinity is high for elemental magics, but low for the other types. Physical affinity is closer to humans by being low to medium, however it is common to see them with high intelligence. The final noteworthy race in the Eastern side is the Sireneans from the Constellation Sea. Like the sirens and mermaids of your lore, they tend to be beautiful beings, but be sure to have them fall for you first rather than you for them, otherwise you could either spend the rest of your life under the tropical waves. Life expectations are like humans with the average being 60 to 70 years. Magic affinity is only high for water elemental and otherworldly sound; the rest are low. Physical affinity is medium to high for muscle, however the brains department is sorely lacking, it¡¯s a wonder that they can use magic at all. West of Notera you¡¯ll find the largest continent of Land, G¨¹erad. This land is home to what you call the beast people, be sure to call them by their respective race though, otherwise it will be very difficult for them to not be hostile towards you afterwards. Despite saying beast, this continent is mostly inhabited by the mammal beasts, bird and reptile races are next. The dominant races are the Cannidus and Felidas, pretty much you have dog and cat girls enjoy. Life expectations is as expected, quite varied, but Cannidus and Felidas tend to average between 50 to 60 years. Magic affinity is low for most races with some exceptions going for medium. In contrast, physical affinity is high in all for muscle and medium for brains, but exceptions exist.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. South of G¨¹erad, after the Reef Passage Belt, you¡¯ll find the last continent, the Compass Islands. Don¡¯t let the name trick you, this was originally one continent but a river split through it and forming 4 islands, 4 cardinal point + 4 landmasses = the Compass Islands. There are three main races in each island. The Squanans, reptile people, live within the North Island, this is the hottest and driest land within Land so it¡¯s not too surprising to see them flourish there. Life expectations are higher than Humalus with the average being 90 to 100 years. Magic affinity is low to medium overall. Physical affinity is medium to high for muscle, but low to medium for brains. On the Eastern Island, you¡¯ll find the Harpeanis, they are a peaceful race and a varied-looking race too. Life expectations is like those of the Cannidus and Felidas, with the average being 50 to 60 years. Magic affinity is high for wind elemental, but medium at best for the rest. Physical affinity is low overall for muscles but medium for brains. The only big race left is the Vitans, the Gods themselves, however they have no relation to higher Gods like myself. Vitans are pretty much spread out throughout the world, but the only place to find many of them is on the island North of both G¨¹erad and Notera, Gelu. Word of advice, don¡¯t set foot on this island even if bymistake, all the Vitans are known to be near immortals and have incredibly high magic affinities. And while the Vitans on other parts of Land tend to be mellow and compatible with the lower races. However, the ones there are aggressive, self-conceited and enjoy harassing the lower races; I repeat myself, DON¡¯T mess with them. And with that, I¡¯ve given you all the needed information about the races. The following information is about magic, the good stuff, however please don¡¯t despise me later for what you¡¯re about to learn. Magic, it¡¯s very different from the preconception you might have thanks to anime, manga or Hollywood films, in some parts it is simpler, while in others is far more. There is mana and some things can be done by simply saying a spell or imagining what you want to achieve, but it stops there. Magic isn¡¯t just divided into saying something like elemental magic or light and dark. Magic is instead split into mechanical, medicinal, military and otherworldly. Mechanical magic is what could be called alchemy and embedding/creation of magical items. Despite saying alchemy, it isn¡¯t as simple making transmutation circle and clapping your hands, instead it involves a lot of calculations and preparing before performing, it could be said that you can make a formula and a transmutation circle to make a jug fill with water whenever it is empty, however the actual time to make such a formula, can range from 3 days to a month, depending on the size of it. Medicinal magic is the main substitute to medicinal science from your world. And like mechanic, it¡¯s not just saying ¡°heal¡± and an open wound will close. It requires not only mana but also blood, the effectiveness of the healing is set by how compatible the available blood is to the body of the patient. Unlike mechanical magic however, medicinal tends to be done a lot faster, and while it needs formulas and transmutation circles, these formulas are simple as making a circle with a decahedron inside of it. By writing the formula on a piece of paper, it can be used multiple times on the same patient without waiting for too long. The only setback for this magic is not the magic itself but the one who casts it, controlling blood and mana is extremely difficult and if handled incorrectly it could burst open a blood vessel when it was meant to treat a rash. Military magic is without a doubt the closest one to the preconception of magic. It¡¯s divided into 6 categories that could be described as elemental magic¡­except for the last one. Fire, water, wind, earth, electricity and enforcement. The elemental ones are simple as they come, recite a spell, pour mana into your hand or whatever you want and a fireball, a gust of wind, etc. will appear. The longer the spell and the more mana it requires, the stronger it becomes, a fireball turns into an inferno and a rock pillar can turn into a mountain range with the right amount of power. There¡¯s also mixed magic and these are limited to those that can use multiple elements, if you have fire and earth elements you can create a volcano, having electricity and water can make a thunderstorm, and so on. Enforcement magic is quite different though, and I question why it¡¯s not part otherworldly over military, maybe it¡¯s dueto how it can be used by simply pouring mana to your own body. When using enforcement, certain parts of your body become stronger or enhanced; if you focus on your arms or legs, the muscles become thicker and reach the full capacity for that body; if you focus on the eyes, your eyesight becomes 20/20 and the seeing distance is greater. Finally, we have otherworldly magic. Although it says other worldly, it¡¯s just the place where the other magics that this world holds go to. Magic that leans towards science, like control of light and sound is considered otherworldly; magic that covers control over other beings, be it through necromancy, familiars or use of grimoires, is also considered otherworldly. There might be some things I am forgetting but this is all I can give you. Farewell Disgusting Wanderer, be sure to keep in mind that I can always keep track of you and take this information I¡¯ve given you to heart. If we ever meet again, I do not know, after all the moment you left the world I kept watch over, I could no longer predict your future. Sincerely your Calculating Bastard of a God P.S: Did you believe I wouldn¡¯t find out you gave me such nickname!?
¡­Tch, so the Bastard found that out¡­well played. And well if he is really watching, thank you. This information will save me large numbers of headache later. ¡­My consciousness is fading once again, seems like I was only meant to remain awake while I read that. ¡­Darkness envelops around me and I fall unconscious once again. End of Intermission 1 Chapter 1: Birth/Rebirth Chapter 1: Birth/Rebirth Part 1 ¡°Waaaaaaaah!!!¡± When I awoke again and my consciousness returned. I was greeted with the insatiable screaming of a baby. Along with it, my throat was being strained and I couldn¡¯t see nor hear well my surroundings¡­scratch that, none of my senses worked the way I wanted them to, they were lagging. I could feel something touching me, but I couldn¡¯t make out what it was. I could hear something or someone talking around me, but I couldn¡¯t make out what they said. And most of all, I could see shadows over my head, but I couldn¡¯t make out the source of those shadows¡­ ¡­Suddenly, I was met with a warm and caring feeling all over my body, my strained throat felt normal, the screaming baby stopped, and I just fell on a deep slumber again, but this time, I felt my consciousness staying with me. Part 2 In a mansion within the outskirts of the city of Germas, a new life was brought to this world. ¡°Waaaaaaaah!!!¡± The new child was born into the Mercelious family. They were a merchant/trading family, whose company reached all the main trading routes in the Humalus centered continent of Noteras. The child born today is the second child of the family and their first-born son. At seeing this, a nervous but smiling father enters the room and rushes towards his newborn son, while taking the baby from the home-call doctor, the man goes towards his wife, who is still laying on the bed but is asking to hold her child. While complying with his wife¡¯s request, the man hands down their baby and holds her while asking her an all-important question. ¡°So, what should we name this one? We agreed that the first boy, would be yours to name.¡± ¡°Umm¡­I¡¯m not sure, I had so many before, but looking at him now, I can¡¯t help but think that none of those names do him justice. I mean, he¡¯s so beautiful and precious, he¡¯s our son.¡± ¡°I understand how you feel, he¡¯s just as beautiful as Maura when she was born. How about you tell me the name you think fits him the most?¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t think of one that fits just right¡­¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Seeing the struggling parents happily thinking of a name for their son, the doctor while packing up, gave a proposition. ¡°If I may intrude, how about naming Lucien.¡± At the proposal of this name, the parents looked towards the doctor. With a bit of mixed looks towards the doctor for intervening in the naming of their child, both parents finally gave out their opinions after thinking about it a bit. ¡°Dear, I think this is the name that fits him best¡± ¡°Is that how you feel about it¡­? Then Doctor Marco, as the head of the Mercelious household, I thank you for the assistance in the birth and naming of our son, Lucien Mercelious.¡± ¡°¡­Lucien, my beautiful Lucien¡± Looking that the pair actually accepted his suggestion, the doctor gave a small smile and asked the parents one final question before he left. ¡°It was nothing, I¡¯m just glad the name was welcomed. It¡¯s about time I take my leave, on my way out should I call any of the maids or would you like some privacy?¡± At his earnest question, the man looked once again away from his son and told the doctor. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think we need the maids for now, just let us enjoy our time with Lucien¡­actually could I ask you to tell a maid to call Maura to this room, I want her to meet her little brother.¡± ¡°Understood Mr. Mercelious, well if that is all, have a good day and contact me if any issues appear¡± With those words, the doctor left the room, notified the closest maid along the way of the wishes of her master and left the mansion. Minutes later, some knocks were on the door. *knock* *knock* *knock* ¡°Come in¡± ¡°Master Mercelious, young mistress Maura is here as you requested¡± ¡°Ah, please let her in. Thank you, Claria.¡± As the instructions were done, a small figure appeared into the room, the figure was the first child of the Mercelious household, Maura Mercelious. If there ever was a clear-cut example of a doting father that would do anything for his daughter, then it would be this pair. As soon as the daughter entered the room, the father ran towards her, picked her up and brought her to the wife and newborn son. ¡°Maura, this is your new brother, his name is Lucien¡± ¡°Lucien¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡± The young girl looked at the baby being held within her mother¡¯s hands, she saw him resting, what looked like a smile appeared on his face ever since he was first held by his mother. At the sight of this small life, Maura just looked up and asked. ¡°Dolly¡­?¡± ¡°N-no, haha. No Maura, Lucien is not a dolly, he¡¯s a baby, be sure to care for him from now on, alright? After all, you¡¯re his big sister.¡± ¡°Okay¡± With that, the birth of a new life, signified a big change within the Mercelious mansion, but that change was something to come much later. End of Chapter 1 Chapter 2: Early Life Chapter 2: Early Life Part 1 A year has passed since I was reborn into this new life. When I say reborn, I do mean reborn, I am without a doubt the baby that was screaming when I gained consciousness was me and my dull sense were once again linked with the fact that I was a newborn. That warmth I felt, was my sleeping in the arms of my mother, and the shadows were the other three members of my main family. With that said, although I¡¯m not sure, the brief period I was awoken before my reincarnation to read the letter from that Bastard seems to have messed up something in my memory wiping stage. Originally I was meant to forget everything that linked to personal opinions and feelings from my previous life, while only keeping hard information and facts. However, although I have forgotten anything and anyone I met in my previous life, I have lingering emotions and opinions to certain subject. For example, I remember that I used to like a certain TV Show or remember how it felt falling off a bicycle, even though those things are feelings and emotions linked with personal experiences. With that said, I can¡¯t remember anything linked with people I used to know, so I know that once I was in love with someone because I have a bitter and lonesome emotion linked to it within me, but I don¡¯t know anything of who I was in love with. Outside of that the reincarnation was successful, I kept all the given information from that Bastard, so all is good in that aspect. As I said before, I am currently a 1-year-old baby, from the looks of my surroundings I come from a well-off middle or high class family. Not that it matters much to me, but it¡¯s kind of like starting life on the Easy mode. On the other hand, being a baby is not as easy as people say it is. I have a complete and utter dependence on my parents, my mother in particular, I can¡¯t communicate at all and even if I wanted to, I¡¯m still learning the language of this world, I couldn¡¯t even attempt control my bowels for the first 6 months and add insult to injury, my life is still limited to the perimeter of the nursery. From what I am able to make out, until the time that a baby becomes able to stand on his own two feet, he is not ready to see the world outside the nursery. ¡°Good morning Lucien, how is my little baby today?¡± Well despite my complaints, I still find this life luxurious, especially because of my mother, Lara. Despite her looking like a high-class lady, I¡¯ve never once seen or experienced her sending someone else to care for me. She¡¯s the first to greet me in the morning and the last to wish me sweet dreams in the evening. Looks wise, I¡¯d say she looks very beautiful, long, flowing, chestnut-colored hair down to her shoulders and beautiful yellow eyes. She is actually 34 believe it or not, but if asked on the street many would say she¡¯s younger than that and even more, they¡¯d say she¡¯s never given birth once. When she saw me already awake in the crib, she picked me up, and while holding me she sat down on the nursery¡¯s rocking chair and began giving me the morning bottle. To be honest, this is all very embarrassing, but I¡¯m a baby so I must accept it for now. While she feeds me, she tends to have talks with me, she tells me of where we live, of what our family does, and sometimes stories of her younger years or of this world. The ones about the world are the ones I pay attention to the most, but I still listen to all, mostly to learn the language. From what I can understand, our family name is the Mercelious and we own a trading company that stretches around the continent but the place it all started and where we live at, is the city of Germas, which is the capital of the country of the same name. I also know that the company, and by extension the family, is well-known for using magic to preserve the products they transfer and sell. *knock* *knock* ¡°Mistress Lara, you¡¯re being called by Mrs. Mara in the library.¡± ¡°Thank you Claria, tell her I¡¯ll be there in a few minutes¡± ¡°Understood ma¡¯am.¡± I still have no clue who Mara or Claria are since they never enter the room, but I guess that Claria is a servant or maid for the house and Mara is an outsider, since I only hear her name once or twice a month. ¡°Bye bye my little Lucien, be good now okay?¡± With those words, my mom puts me in the playpen centered in the middle of the nursery and I¡¯m left alone until someone comes again. However, that alone period is barely present, because as soon as Lara leaves the room, another person opens the door and greets me. ¡°Hi Lucienn, wanna play with meee?¡± The owner of that voice is the little girl, or rather my older sister Maura. She¡¯s only 3 years older than me so there is not much a difference between the two of us, and since she¡¯s yet to start an education, she comes into my room daily after mom leaves to play with me. Although, I have some fears towards her because of a small incident a while back; but almost as if reading my mind, she says. ¡°I-I won¡¯t make you dolly, I bring dolly this time, seeee?¡± Exactly that, the first time I was put into the playpen to pass the day rather than in the crib, Maura came in, opened the pen and started treating me like a dress-up doll. Naturally I began crying, she got scolded and ever since then she still comes into the room but always makes it clear she won¡¯t use me like a doll. Well, I¡¯m fine with that, since she opens the pen I can freely go around the room afterwards, spending time with her is a small price to pay in exchange for that freedom to explore if you ask me, and besides I think it¡¯s important to form a good relationship with your siblings. If asked, I¡¯d say Maura is very similar to mom, and if she looks like her as she gets older, than I predict a lot of guys will turn heads for her. But even if I say that, she¡¯s still a child at this moment. Her hair is less of a chestnut color like mom and more of a reddish brown and combined with her brown eyes, she looks like she will be the aggressive type later on in life, but for now she¡¯s very mellow, despite her being spoiled by father a lot. Not like I can complain in that department since I¡¯m very spoiled by mom, however I feel doting attitude will be nothing but a handful later on when she wants to get married. ¡°Maura? Are you playing with Lucien again?¡± Oh, speak of the devil and he will appear I guess. With a door opening, a big-gutted man that would fit too well as Santa Claus pops into the room. His name is Jacob Mercelious, and he¡¯s the father of Maura and me. ¡°Daddyyy!!¡± ¡°Ah, there is my little angel!¡± After hearing the warm welcome, Jacob ran and lifted Maura up in the air. Without a doubt, there¡¯s clear favoritism between the two of us for his attention, well not like I want it either way and he still shows affection towards me so it¡¯s all good. ¡°And how is my little Lucien today?¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The man himself is 38-years-old and the way he is built make me say that the only way the marriage between him and mom happened was because of one big reason, he didn¡¯t look like this before they got married. In exchange, however, like his Santa look, Jacob is very cheerful and rare is a time he is without a smile on his face. His hair is of a natural gray, not because of aging mind you, and his eyes green eyes make it clear that in his prime he attracted more women than just mom. After father and Maura left, mom came back for the afternoon/evening meal, and after spending a prolonged time with me, she put me to sleep for the day. And like that is my uneventful life as a 1-year-old, I can¡¯t wait until I am able to walk so I can see more than just this nursery. Part 2 ¡°Claria, have you seen Lucien!?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I have ma¡¯am, but he is probably just walking around the mansion again, you shouldn¡¯t worry about it too much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s Lucien the one walking around the mansion that I am worried! Ever since he got up on his two feet I can¡¯t keep track of him, and when I do find him, he is always in a different place from the last!¡± ¡°I understand ma¡¯am, but please relax a bit, even if at different places, young master Lucien tends to frequent 3 places the most around the mansion, if you want to see him, please just check those places first and you¡¯ll most likely find him. If that doesn¡¯t work, try asking young mistress Maura, she always seems to be the first one to find him whenever he runs off.¡± ¡°Tha-that¡¯s right, the places he frequents the most¡­what were those again, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been looking everywhere so I forgot.¡± ¡°*sigh* It¡¯s alright ma¡¯am, if you want it easier again just ask young mistress Maura. Otherwise check the library, the back porch or his room.¡± ¡°Thank you very much Claria. Please continue with your work.¡± ¡°Understood ma¡¯am, I wish you luck finding young master Lucien.¡± With the parting words between the master and servant, the mistress of the Mercelious household ran off in search of her 3-year-old son within the mansion. Never suspecting that her faithful maid was already an accomplice to the one she was searching for. ¡°Is that as you wanted young master?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine Claria, but did you have to tell her the fastest ways to find me in the future?¡± ¡°Even if I assist you in your quest, I cannot lie to your mother, that action could cost me my job¡± ¡°Understood. Then I¡¯ll go walk around the forest for now. Let¡¯s go Maura.¡± ¡°Coming Lu!¡± As the two siblings left, the working maid just sighed and wondered who the older sibling in that pair was. At first glance it would be the clearly taller and older 7-year-old girl Maura, but if one observed them even for a few minutes, it was clear that the young 4-year-old boy Lucien is the one that acts as the older sibling and even some say that he acts even older than that. Their destination for the day was the forest within the premises of the mansion, what they were doing there, nobody but those two knew for sure. * * * After I turned 2, I began to freely move around the mansion and explore every part of it. On the inside, the mansion has various rooms and passageways leading everywhere. In the first floor, you have the dining room, the kitchen, the main bath and the servant rooms, each one is spacious and fun to go through, although I¡¯ve never been to the servant rooms, those are off limits, rules set not by my parents but the servants themselves, in their words, someone of good upbringing like myself should never go into the sleeping quarters of those under them. This is nothing but bullshit in my honest opinion, but I still respect the wishes of privacy of others. There is one more room in the first floor but that one is only available to be entered from the second floor. In the second floor, we have the master bedroom, a guest room, Maura¡¯s room, my room and the nursery, maybe they plan to have another baby who knows. However, the centerpiece of the mansion is without a doubt the library, the library is only entered from the second floor, but that room takes up both floors to house what could only be described as tons of reading material from everything and anything, magic, history, geography, language and other educational books, information on the various races, and nature. The nature section seems to be mostly limited to the wildlife that live within the region, but some books hold information of animals around the world, but those are for another time. Today, while avoiding the protective eye of mom, I plan to make a field trip to the family forest, this forest was set as a land the Mercelious family protects as a way to give back to the life that once lived in this region, the forest covers twice the land area the main property covers and it¡¯s complete with a forest trail and a lake at the center of it, but for now it¡¯s my personal playground and together with Maura, I want to check out some of the animals from this area. It¡¯s my first time going outside like this so I¡¯m excited. As for why Maura is following me, I can think of only two reasons, one is a personal barrier, the other reason is her wish. My barrier is my disability in how to write, I can understand, speak and even read in the language used on this world, however since I¡¯ve never been properly taught how to write, it is still a barrier for me, when I asked mom and father to teach me to write, they simply said: ¡®Once you turn 5 you¡¯ll get a tutor like Maura so you can learn to read, write, arithmetic and other basics¡¯. I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t like the waiting but since nobody would/could teach me, Maura can¡¯t teach for her life, I decided to give up for now and learn in a year. The reason why Maura follows me it¡¯s one simple in its own way, sibling affection, although mom has set up play dates with families whose daughters are Maura¡¯s age, she simply grows bored of them after 10 minutes and goes searching for me¡­part of the reason why she¡¯s gotten so good at finding me whenever I go ¡°missing¡±. * * * ¡°Where have you two been!?!?!¡± After a 30-minute walk through the forest trail we return to the mansion¡­only to find a very pissed off Lara¡­I wonder if this feeling is what people describe as being a frog that¡¯s stared down by a snake. ¡°Mama, mama, look at all the things Lu and I saw in the forest!¡± Maura however, completely oblivious to mom¡¯s temper talks with like if what we were doing was an everyday thing. And it seems to have a good effect in mellowing out the beast that is currently possessing mom. ¡°W-we saw a woodcrawler and a moonbird!¡± ¡°Re-really? Lu-Lucien what are these exactly? And what is that Maura is holding in her hands?¡± Under Maura¡¯s happy-go-lucky nature, mom finally cracked and turned to ask what Maura was talking about. Thank you, Maura; but mom, if I may ask, why are you asking the younger child about something the older one is presenting? ¡°I don¡¯t mind telling you mom, but why don¡¯t you ask Maura what that is?¡± ¡°Because I know pretty well Maura wouldn¡¯t do this on her own, and along with the forest, there were various places around the house she used to avoid until you started frequenting those places. So, now what is that and what were you doing in the forest?¡± Can¡¯t fault her for that logic I guess. ¡°While I was in the library I found a book about the animals of the region of Germas, and I wanted to see how many of them lived in the forest. While we were there we saw many things, but the thing that Maura and I kept looking for the most were the birds.¡± ¡°Why the birds?¡± ¡°Because they are easier to find, prettier to look at, and easier to count¡± ¡°Why count them?¡± ¡°To see what was common and what was rare in the forest. And the two things Maura was talking about were the birds she found first, the rest on the list, I found them first.¡± As I said that, mom picked up the listed papers from Maura¡¯s hand. Looked with both confusion and impression to them and asked a final question. ¡°Lucien, a final question¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re 4-years-old?¡± ¡°Last I checked mother¡± This question scared me a bit the first time she asked me when I started talking, thinking that she might have found out something about me, but later I found that she just had a hard time believing I was her son with the way I talked, but secretly she was very happy about it. So now whenever she asks I just give her that answer and she goes on her merry way, just like she¡¯s doing now. Thus, with the help of Maura, my first trip to the forest was a successful mission and even more than that, the return to the base camp proved to have no casualties thanks to her as well. End of Chapter 2 Chapter 3: Alleyway Encounter Chapter 3: Alleyway Encounter Part 1 ¡°Bye Lu! I¡¯ll see you again when you enroll in the academy!¡± ¡°Ye-yeah, bye Maura¡­please let go of me, the carriage is waiting for you¡± With those parting words, I say goodbye to Maura for a long period for the first time in my life. The reason for it is very simple. Although both Maura and I got tutoring while we were growing, a form of public education still exists, if you have the necessary method of payment for it. The reason why it¡¯s called public is simply because you¡¯re allowed to visit no matter your background, but it¡¯s clear that only those whose families have good income get to enter. The Academy of Magic and Specialties, as it¡¯s called, is the only source of higher education in the nation of Germas, it only accepts students that fill three requirements:
  1. Be 15 or older of age
  2. Know language and arithmetic
  3. Pass the entrance exam given to you by the academy
If you can pass those requirements you can enter the academy and attempt a higher education in whatever field you desire. You can be a magic technician, a trader, a fighting expert, or even apply to enter the nation¡¯s military through the academy; in Maura¡¯s case, she is going through the medicinal course, her abilities manifested when she was 14 and when she turned 15 she applied and got accepted. I¡¯m still just 12, so I must wait 3 more years before I apply, but until then I¡¯ve hit an even bigger barrier than the one I had when I was 4. This barrier is boredom¡­without Maura in the house I have nobody close to me to talk to, I read all the books in the library over the years, and since in this world magic abilities manifest as the person hits past 13, I have nothing new to do for now. Because of that, today I decided to take a walk outside of the mansion and see where it takes me. * * * ¡°He-hey!!! Let go of me already!!¡± ¡°Hehe, you know very well I can¡¯t do that, after all, you¡¯re our precious payment¡± While walking through the alleyways closer to the center of the city, I heard the screaming of a girl, but from the way things were going, it was a case of slave trading or the like. Point is something I don¡¯t want to be involved with. So I continued walking in the other direction but it seems like the abduction wasn¡¯t over. ¡°Hey! Wait!!¡± As one of the two men that were dealing with the girl yelled off, the frail-looking girl ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Keep fighting, maybe you¡¯ll get your freedom. As for why I didn¡¯t help her, the answer is quite simple, I¡¯m only 12, I don¡¯t have a strong sense of justice, and the two chasing the girl, despite clearly being on the low end of the spectrum when it came to brain power, they clearly had some brawn to back up the parts they lacked¡­yet they manage to lose hold of a frail girl¡­ *crash* ¡­Why am I all bloodied and smacked against a wall? ¡­Rather, why is that girl on the opposite side of me? ¡­The little bitch crashed into me. Sigh, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s just a few scratches, I can handle it. Alright, ojou-chan, mind giving me some help here¡­? Oi oi, you¡¯re planning to leave me here after you crashed into me!? I mean, I understand you¡¯re in a hurry but at least a sorry would suffice¡­no? Well, congratulations, I¡¯m pissed now and unfortunately for you, I¡¯m a very pity person. ¡°Hold it right there!! Can¡¯t you at least say sorry when you crash into someone and you smack them against the wall!?¡± Just as she was about to lift off, the frail-looking¡­no looking closely she¡¯s just malnourished. Point is, I grabbed her by the neck collar as hard as I could. Is what I¡¯m doing pitiful and just plain awful to a person? Probably, but I have something in mind; but before I do that, I want to give her a good scare for future reference. ¡°Hey, you two! Are you looking for her!?¡± At the sound of my yell the two men turned in my direction and the face of the girl I was holding off in place turned grim, pale and as a cherry on the top the fear factor got the best of her and all her strength disappeared from her legs. The only thing moving was her mouth. ¡°Ple-please kid, I get it, I-I¡¯m sorry for crashing into you, but please let me go for now. If-if they ca-catch me *sniff* I might not be able to live a life ever again *sniff*. Sigh, don¡¯t cry like that, you¡¯re making me waver and feel like the bad guy for doing this. This is for your own good in the long run, you know? As she was crying and apologizing, the two men caught up to me and told me to hand her over, however¡­ ¡°I refuse¡± ¡°W-what!?¡± ¡°I said, I refuse. I merely asked you if she belonged to the two of you, not that I was planning to hand her over. If it¡¯s fine with you, might telling me her circumstances? Depending on the situation, I¡¯m sure we can come to an agreement.¡± At this point everything froze in place, the girl stopped crying and just looked at me in disbelief, as for the two men, one had the same look of disbelief as the girl, while the other one, the leader-type, had his face contorted in all forms of rage. ¡°Why!?!?!! Why should I listen to a brat like you!?! Fuck you, stop acting so condescending and proud towards your elders!!!¡± At that moment, his fist struck me. It aimed and landed on my face. Besides being close to deforming it, a black mark began rapidly spreading through my left cheek and¡­ *spit* ¡­with a simple spit, one of the few baby teeth I had left came out, along with a large number of blood¡­it hurts, I want to start crying¡­but I have to hold it for now and keep the conversation. Besides, even if I back up now, these two, especially the leader, will kill me and throw me in a back alley like an old rag. ¡°Cough, cough, ah so that¡¯s how this one came out. I have to thank you for that, that molar was still among the few baby teeth I was left to shed.¡± That¡¯s it, good. Keep him thinking that it¡¯s not much. Don¡¯t tell them you¡¯re about to collapse and continue talking¡­wait is it just me or is my blood moving towards my body? Must be my imagination¡­ ¡°I asked what was the reason you were chasing this girl and if there was a way to fi this situation. If it¡¯s a simple issue of money, I might be able to help.¡± After looking at me for a few seconds the leader began talking, maybe he figured from the way I talked that I could back up my claim. ¡°You see, the two of us work under a loan shark in this part of Germas, and her father is someone that owed us a good sum of money but when we went to collect it-¡± ¡°She was given to you instead as a compensation method?¡± At me finishing his statement, the leader looked confused but nodded. Good, this is simpler than I thought. I¡¯ll hold the pain a bit more and I¡¯ll ask. ¡°So? What do you plan to do with her?¡± ¡°At this point she has only three options, sent to a whorehouse to pay off the debt over time, sell her to a slave trader or go big and sell her directly to someone with a fetish for her type¡± No matter how you looked at it, it was a bad end in all three options for her. Maybe I¡¯ll give her another option or two when if I do this. ¡°So? How much did you trade her for?¡± ¡°8 Silver Germas¡± ¡°Cough!! Cough!!¡± ¡°Oi kid, are you okay?¡± ¡°Cough, yes I¡¯m sorry but 8 Silver Germas, for her? Didn¡¯t you get ripped off a bit? I mean sure, if she was in her prime and with a good background that price is on the low end, but she¡¯s malnourished and from her looks it¡¯s clear she comes from a poor background. Didn¡¯t you just get ripped off?¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. At seeing my statement, the two men got clearly pissed off as they thought they might have gotten ripped off. Well, what I said wasn¡¯t completely off, but the girl is still worth the price if she had a better composition. It sure came handy to read the slave trade books in the library, not sure why those were there but they helped give a good estimate in this situation. I¡¯ll make use of that now and finish this off before more blood goes off of me¡­why does it looks like more of my blood as concentrated around me...ignore it, now it¡¯s time to seal the deal. ¡°Besides the fact her father ripped you off. What would you say if I bought her off of you?¡± ¡°Oi kid, don¡¯t mess around with us. You should know better than to tell lies.¡± ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m not lying. I¡¯m willing to fully pay the 8 Silver Germas she¡¯s worth if it means that you¡¯ll leave her alone. Does that sound good?¡± Never in my life did I think that I would use the money I had saved up over the years to buy a girl¡­well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s all of the money and I kind of want to see how this situation ends. After thinking for a few minutes the leader finally talked. ¡°Okay kid, you got a deal. 8 Silver Germas and the girly is yours.¡± This was going smoothly like I wanted, in a few minutes I can finally end this without collapsing, my body, please keep it up!! As I began to look through my pockets for the money the other man finally opened his mouth only to make things more complicated. ¡°He-hey! Is this a good idea? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to just take the money and the girl and double our profit?¡± I can hear you, you goddamn retard. ¡°This is why I never let you do the talking. Think a little, that kid has enough money to pay off 8 Silver Germas in the blink of an eye. What do you think would happen if his family set someone to go after us?¡± At the leader¡¯s statement the other man looked at me, and to answer his look I gave him a smile. He grimaced. I thought I smiled normally but his face reacted like he had seen Lucifer in person, oh? even the still on the floor net to me grimaced at seeing my smile¡­is that bad? ¡°Well, here are the 8 Silver Germas. Is that all good with you?¡± ¡°Yes, this is fine. Thanks for doing business with you kid. Oh, and sorry for punching you earlier.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. Now please be on your merry way and we¡¯ll be in ours.¡± As I said that I finally collapsed on the floor after losing all of the pressure and from my side a voice came. ¡°Wh-why¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Come again?¡± Barely able to control the effects of the pain and the blood loss, I managed to keep the conversation afloat. ¡°Why did you save me?¡± Why did I save her? I¡¯ve gotten into this situation and my whole body was a tattered mess because I got involved, even when just earlier I told myself I wasn¡¯t a big one for justice¡­ah, I know why. ¡°Pure amusement.¡± ¡°A-amusement?¡± That¡¯s right, I walked out of the mansion and into the streets because I got bored, I tried to avoid it at first but since the situation crashed into me, I used it for my own amusement. ¡°That¡¯s right. I wanted to see how you would react.¡± The girl looked at me with a combination of confusion, relief and a bit of fear. But then she finally began talking again. ¡°I-I see¡­can I ask a question?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s amusement?¡± ¡°It¡¯s when you try to do or find something that entertains you. You know, makes you excited.¡± ¡°And getting punched and buying off a girl get you excited¡­you sound like one of those rich men in the good part of town when you say that.¡± Cheeky girl. ¡°That¡¯s rude you know. I don¡¯t like the idea of getting hit, in fact I despise pain. And as for buying off a girl, it¡¯s more situational and a setup for what I truly wanted to do.¡± ¡°Wha-what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Giving you an option¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Cute, she got confused. Well this is what I wanted to see, along with her choice to my options. ¡°Originally you were meant to be sent to a pervert noble, a whorehouse or sold off as slave. So now I want to give you two, no, three more options. First, you can go back to your old home and live until you grow older with your father, but he might sell you off again if he gets in debt. Second, you can live off the streets from now on, but that will most likely sent you back to the whorehouse route. And thirdly, you come with me.¡± At the first two she either scowled or grimaced. But her faced became questionable when I gave her option three. At least she is interested. ¡°Go-going with you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Recently my sister left home, so I have nobody to keep me company and I also want an assistant from now on. So what do you say? Ah, the deal comes with a place to stay, new clothing, a warm bath and bed, 3 meals a day, and the necessary education to become my assistant.¡± After pondering for a few minutes with her eyes closed, the girl finally looked at me and asked. ¡°You won¡¯t ask me to do anything perverted like sleeping with you?¡± ¡°No I won¡¯t. And even if I did, two things are holding that option back.¡± ¡°Tw-two things?¡± ¡°Yes, first off, I¡¯m 12, I¡¯m still not ready to enjoy myself that way. And second, the way you are now, you are not very developed, my tastes require you to be a big bigger in some areas.¡± As I said my statement as a matter of fact, the girl simply blushed until her face was crimson while covering/checking her breast and rear areas. ¡°¡­Pervert¡± ¡°Tell that to the ones that want to do it with someone whose body looks like a little girl¡¯s. So, what do you say? Will you come with me?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, please take care of me¡­what should I call you?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right you don¡¯t know my name. Lucien, Lucien Mercelious, pleasure to meet you¡­erm¡± ¡°Marla. Just Marla¡­if you have a last name it means you¡¯re from a high-class family¡­wait, Mercelious, are you from the trading family?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Well, not like my background matters much. Cough, cough¡± ¡°A-ar-are you okay!?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah, it¡¯s just that everything up to know is piling up. Cough. I¡¯m sorry Marla, but could you take me back to the mansion, cough, I feel like I¡¯m going to-¡± ¡°Ahhhhh!!!! Lucien please don¡¯t die, here let me get you!¡± Well, this is embarrassing. I¡¯m being carried off by a girl that clearly looks weaker than me. I sure hope nobody sees this¡­turns out all the blood that was splattered on the floor got concentrated around the area where my left hand was hanging¡­I¡¯ll have to check that out¡­later¡­ Part 2 *knock* *knock* ¡°Yes, yes, coming! Welcome to the Mercelious household, please state your-¡± ¡°Cla-Claria, could I ask fo-for your help, ple-please?¡± ¡°!? Young master!? Are you alright? What happened!?¡­and who might you be?¡± At the entrance of the Mercelious mansion, the young master of the household, Lucien Mercelious, appears cut up, ragged in places and blood in various places¡­and alongside him, there is a small figure that with all of her might is carrying the young master as to not him collapse on the floor. ¡°Ah? Ah, her name is Marla, and starting today, I want you to train her.¡± ¡°Train her?¡± At the sight of the son of her master asking such an odd request, Claria, the head maid couldn¡¯t help but question what was happening. ¡°Ye-yeah, starting from today, Marla is to be trained into being a maid, she¡¯ll be the one to follow me from now on, unfortunately she has no experience with it, so I can only ask you for help.¡± ¡°I-I understand, but may I ask what happened to you and how did you meet her? From the way she is dressed, it¡¯s clear she¡¯s not someone that you normally associate with.¡± ¡°Ah, sure but can I please sit down first, I have a feeling both my body and Marla are about to give out¡± After sitting down and having his wounds being tended by Claria, Lucien began telling the story that started earlier that day¡­ ¡­By the time the story was over, Claria had finished giving me first aid and with a serious face asked. ¡°I understand young master, but what do you wish of me to do with this young girl?¡± ¡°I want you to train her, I have 3 years before the mansion so in that time I want to learn the necessary things to become the best possible maid for me. I would like you to teach her the basics of etiquette and how to act as a maid, while I will teach her language, arithmetic and other things I find of interest to learn.¡± I might be a bit pushy but I want to ensure Marla gets the right first step and ensure I have a reliable person by my side in the future. And while she¡¯s doing that, I want to see if I can find a way to defend myself in the future. As much as I want a battle maid, former otaku fantasies, I also want to be able to hold my own if push comes to shove¡­I wonder if the way my blood concentrated has a deeper meaning to it¡­? Oh, I¡¯m losing focus, I need to clarify with Claria for now. ¡°So, Claria. Would what I proposed to you be possible? If it¡¯s not I¡¯ll find a different way of doing it. I don¡¯t wish to place another burden upon you.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright young master. Please count on me with the education of this girl.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Does that sound fine with you Marla?¡± Almost spaced out until now, Marla turned her attention when I called her out and with a bit of a flushed face she nodded. ¡°Ye-yes Lucien¡± ¡°Stop right there miss. If you¡¯re going to be a servant to the young master you should first fix how to address him, understood? Repeat after me. Understood Master Lucien.¡± ¡°U-understood Master Lucien!¡± ¡°Less screaming and no stuttering, repeat!¡± ¡°Understood Master Lucien!¡± ¡°Better, but still wrong! It¡¯s-¡± Scary, I feel bad for Marla but this will be helpful for the future. But before that. ¡°Ah, Claria¡± ¡°Yes, young master?¡± ¡°Here, use these 2 Silver Germas to buy Marla the necessary clothing and necessities. Ah, and for now don¡¯t buy her the maid working clothes yet, I want to pick those.¡± ¡°Understood young master¡± ¡°And a final thing. Her maid training is in the mornings, during the afternoons I¡¯ll take Marla to teach her what I deem necessary. Is that also good with you Marla?¡± ¡°Understood young master¡± ¡°Understood Master Lucien!¡± And with that I got myself a personal maid. Later that day I had a minor dispute with mom and father but it was mostly due to me leaving the mansion over bringing Marla in, so it all ended good. End of Chapter 3 Chapter 4: The New Maid and the Aptitude Test Chapter 4: The New Maid and the Aptitude Test ¡°Today I want you to read this story for me¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll try my best! I-in the old land of G¨¹erad¡­¡± Let¡¯s talk about the new maid Marla. Around 3 months have passed since she started living in the Mercelious household under the pretense that she would become my personal maid and so far, I can say I¡¯m satisfied to see how fast she¡¯s learning. At this rate she¡¯s able to read common words and basic sentences, along with knowing the necessary arithmetic for a maid, but I still believe she can do better. In her maid training, however¡­I kind of regret asking Claria for her assistance. While it is true Marla is turning into a proper maid, it also means she¡¯s becoming strict in her speech manner and I don¡¯t like it. People should be able to express themselves as they please, and that¡¯s why I told Marla that if the two of us were alone she could talk as she pleased. ¡°¡­the man was an old Hu-hu-¡± ¡°Humalus¡± ¡°Thank you! An old Humalus¡­¡± Due to how I first met her, malnourished and weak, I thought she was younger than me, but it turns out Marla is a full 2 years older, 14. Other prominent features that became accentuated once her body recovered and cleaned up were her eyes and hair. Her eyes were what you call sunflower eyes, blue overall with a beautiful yellow radiant around the pupil, and to compliment it, her hair was black with hints of dark blue when seen in the right light. Simply put she is beautiful if she took care of herself. Well, I don¡¯t plan to let a beauty like her waste her looks when they should be shared with the world. ¡°¡­and the man returned home. The End.¡± ¡°Good work, looks like you can read children books rather well for now¡± ¡°N-no, this much is nothing¡­¡± ¡°You say that but you¡¯re blushing a bit because of the compliment¡± ¡°How-how embarrassing!!¡± ¡°Relax, relax, if you scream to loud Claria will come and reprimand you for speaking like that¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± How cute¡­well that¡¯s how my daily life has been filled for now. I kind of want to know if Marla has any magic affinity but it seems that when it manifested she never used it and as a result it became dormant. This doesn¡¯t mean that it is gone forever, but in order for it to manifest a second time she needs to have the right trigger for it and that trigger is missing unless you know the affinity, sigh¡­I can¡¯t really complain myself since I¡¯ve yet to have my magic manifest, but now that Marla has been put on track, I think I¡¯ll research a bit about my blood, I¡¯m still interested to see why it gathered around the area under my left hand when I got beat up. Part 2 ¡°Ma-ma-master Lucien!!! What are you doing!?!?¡± ¡°Oh? Hey Marla, come here look at this¡± ¡°Why are you bleeding!? Did you get hit somewhere!? Are you in pain!? I-I-I¡¯m a failure as a maid to not care for my master¡¯s wellbeing. Waaaaaah!!!¡± ¡°Relax, relax¡­Marla relax!! I did these cuts myself, a year ago when I met you I noticed something weird about my blood, so I¡¯ve been spending the last 9 months researching what it was.¡± ¡°*sniff* Research¡­? *sniff*¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You didn¡¯t notice since you were too afraid at that time and I had you on my right side, but when the loan shark punched me and my blood was splattered on the floor. Little by little the blood began moving towards my left side, especially towards the area under my left hand.¡± She finally relaxed a bit, but she now just looks at me confused. ¡°Your blood gathered towards you?¡± ¡°Pretty much¡± ¡°Is it magic, like otherworldly magic?¡± ¡°Who knows, but if it is, I¡¯d say it¡¯s a pretty useless magic on its own¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± I wanted to explain it to her but this might take a while¡­ ¡°¡­It will take a while to explain. Why don¡¯t you sit down over there and I¡¯ll do my best to explain it.¡± ¡°Understood¡± As Marla sat down, I cleaned up a bit and moved towards her and I began explaining. In summary, I can control at will but only to a small extent. As long as my blood is out of my body I can move it slowly in a direction I am thinking of, it is easier to control if I point it with my eyesight or a finger for coordination. However, this only works when the blood is outside of my body, while it is within it, it flows naturally as it should within an organism; that means my blood flow isn¡¯t messed up by my control so I¡¯m thankful for that. Outside of the slow directed movement, the blood doesn¡¯t really do much else, it isn¡¯t showing like some of the blood powers I remember seeing in a manga about prisoners or an anime about vampires and aliens in New York. Simply put, it doesn¡¯t look cool or very useful. The other thing that I can do is controlling how the blood concentrates. If I imagine the blood concentrating into a sphere-like shape, the blood will do it. But if I compress it too much, the blood will begin imploding and then explode in all directions, when that happens I lose all control of the blood and it doesn¡¯t actually do any damage or pain, it¡¯s just splatters of blood everywhere, and it¡¯s messy. The final thing is the range of control, when I started researching my blood I could only control it for a radius of 2 meters, but after 9 months, the radius is around 5 meters. But it¡¯s not very useful considering all that my blood does. ¡°¡­and as a final disclaimer, no, I can¡¯t control the blood of other things, just my own. So, any questions?¡± By the time I finished the presentation/explaining to Marla, she had her head down and I couldn¡¯t see her expressions. Did she begin to fear me again? I mean, this ability is pretty useless but controlling blood is something that makes many people shiver at the idea of it¡­wait did she just fall asleep¡­? ¡°Hey, Marla. Are you awake¡­?¡± As I turned closer I could just hear a soft mumble. ¡°¡­a-ama¡­¡± ¡°Ama?¡± ¡°¡­amazing. It¡¯s amazing Master Lucien!¡± What the hell? Why is this amazing? It¡¯s not strong enough to be a weapon, I doubt that controlling my blood could be used in medicinal magic, and I don¡¯t think this can even be considered otherworldly, it¡¯s just a weird and borderline creepy ability¡­maybe I should ask her opinion. ¡°Wh-why would you say it¡¯s amazing? Isn¡¯t useless and creepy?¡± ¡°¡­Well, it is a bit creepy, but I don¡¯t believe it to be a useless ability¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t it useless?¡± I¡¯m honestly confused, I researched this because it¡¯s a part of my body, but if I was given the option to study something like this, I¡¯d would without a doubt be bored as soon as I begin studying it. ¡°Don¡¯t you see Master Lucien? This is something that hasn¡¯t been talked about before, at least I¡¯ve never heard of it. There are many people that use blood with their magic, whether it is a doctor or a necromancer, in order to use those types of magic they need blood. However, I¡¯ve never heard of someone controlling their blood at will, and from the looks of it, it doesn¡¯t seem to be a magic affinity.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°From what you¡¯ve described to me, the only limit to your blood control is how much blood you lose, you don¡¯t get fatigued or a fever which are signs of mana depletion. So this must be a something besides a magic affinity, isn¡¯t that amazing?¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± When put through that perspective this is amazing, but it¡¯s not something I can see much use of it. It¡¯s like being sent to fight a martial artist but you only have the strength of a 5-year-old¡­ ¡°I wonder¡­¡± ¡°Master Lucien?¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind me I¡¯m just thinking of something I want to try doing. That reminds me, Marla, would you care to join me on a walk to the City Hall?¡± ¡°Um¡­the City Hall? Sure, I don¡¯t mind going there but is there a reason for it Master Lucien?¡± ¡°Indeed and a good one at that, check that letter I left on that desk over there¡± As Marla walks towards my desk she finds an envelope and a letter half-put into it. The contents are basic ones, but some that I found very interesting. ¡°This one¡­? Shall I read it aloud?¡± ¡°Please do, it will be a good way to see your progress after a year¡± ¡°Then, here I go. Erm. Hi Lu! how is my dear-¡± ¡°Please skip to paragraph three, my sister tends to put too much filler stuff in her letters¡± ¡°Understood. News have been going around the Academy that one of the Affinity Stones will be sent to Germas City Hall for the following year. Apparently, some of the big names of the city are interested in finding out what talents their sons and daughters have in the magic department. In all honesty, it¡¯s a stupid egotistical thing to do, but since they paid the amount requested, the Stone was granted. While I don¡¯t care for that part, it seems that if you pay 2 Copper Germas for it, you can have your aptitude tested, and since you¡¯re finally around the age when the affinity manifests, I think it would be good for you to find out what it is and start training in it. Well, that¡¯s all the serious stuff I had for now, so how are-¡± ¡°Please stop now Marla. So, what did you find out from the contents of the letter?¡± ¡°A few things. For one, your sister seems to have a close relationship with you, another is that she has no liking for the rich men in Germas, you haven¡¯t told her that you took me in, and that she might have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with yo-Ow!!!¡± An open smack to the back of the head for Marla. ¡°I held back a bit, but you just had to talk about the subject I like to think about the least. You know well enough what I was asking you, now will you act stupid again and get a second smack or will you get to the serious stuff?¡± ¡°*sniff* I understand Master Lucien, *sniff* it looks like you can finally see your magic affinity. Congratulations.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually more excited for yours than mine¡± ¡°Wh-why would you say that?¡± Why are you getting flustered for? I wanted to know what you had hidden since you first told me and besides, I have a gnawing feeling coming back to me after 13 years. ¡°It¡¯s simple really, your magic is dormant at this moment, but it manifested at one time, that¡¯s the definition of Pandora¡¯s Box if I ever saw it¡± ¡°Pa-pa what?¡± A shit¡­I use a term not of this world¡­well, I¡¯ll try to explain it by saying it¡¯s something I saw in an old book. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s something I read before I met you, but it follows this idea. Pandora¡¯s Box was once considered the be all and end all of any power, the reason for this was that the owner of the box, Pandora, was the first Humalus created by the Vitans-¡± ¡°A Humalus created by a Vitan!?¡± ¡­Looks like the common tales of Greek mythology don¡¯t have a counterpart in this world¡­oh well, too late to back out now. ¡°It¡¯s an ancient and forgotten story, don¡¯t worry of the details. Because of her creation, Pandora had the access within her to open a ¡®box¡¯ that could release the salvation or destruction of the world. Right now, your power is like that, it could have any form of strength because it already manifested, but how effective it is, it¡¯s yet to be defined. Truly a wonderful feeling¡­besides, something is telling me that I might have absolutely no magic affinity.¡± A Bastard God to be exact. ¡°A very interesting tale. But¡­Master Lucien, what makes you believe you have no affinity? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s been a case of a Humalus with absolutely no magic power. Is there a backing for that? Or are you just being pessimistic?¡± ¡°If I had to pick, I¡¯d say it¡¯s just a hunch, but it¡¯s also leaning that I might be pessimistic. Either way, you could say I¡¯m preparing for the worst.¡± Not like I could tell her that something greater than a Vitan met up with me before I was born and might have taken away my ability to use magic. Haha¡­ ¡°But that¡¯s how it is. So, once again. Marla, would you care to accompany me to City Hall to see your magic affinity? Ah, and don¡¯t worry, if my hunch proves true, I¡¯m starting to think of a way to make use of my blood, although that will take some time.¡± ¡°Understood Master Lucien¡± You say that but your face is dull and clouded. Maybe this will help¡­ ¡°And if I turn to have no affinity, just be prepared to work harder, since I will make your magic to double as mine as well.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Not the best way I could have phrased it, but as I said that, Marla¡¯s face cleared away the cloudiness it had from my previous statement and showed a smile fitting for a girl her age.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Part 3 ¡°Master Lucien¡­mind if I ask a question?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is there a reason why we have to walk all the to City Hall in the center of the capital when the Mercelious household is on the outskirts of said capital!?¡± ¡°None in particular, I just felt like walking¡± ¡°You¡¯re evil¡­¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Nothing¡± Ignoring the complaints of the amateur maid, I made my way towards the City Hall, and while it is true that the walk is long, the equivalent to 40 miles to be exact, I had a reason for why I wanted to walk over having someone taking me. ¡°Marla, have you ever heard of a weapon that shoots balls of steel from the pull of a trigger?¡± ¡°Umm¡­I don¡¯t think I have Master Lucien. Did you read that in a book like the thing about the ¡®box¡¯?¡± ¡°A bit like that but not quite. Then, how about any weapon that is used for shooting magic?¡± I¡¯ll probably tell her at one point everything, but I¡¯ll keep it vague for now. ¡°The best I can think for that is a staff, a grimoire or a condensed stone¡± ¡°¡­that will be all, thank you. Actually, no, do you know where I could get something like a slingshot?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t Master Lucien, and even if I knew of such a place, my knowledge before meeting you was limited so I wouldn¡¯t know if I did see a place that sold such weapon¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s alright for now. I¡¯ll just make my own.¡± ¡°Do you have something in mind?¡± If you can¡¯t buy something, just make it yourself. And in this world of magic and medieval weapons, I wonder how it will be to have the equivalent to a Magnum in hand. ¡°Something like that¡± ¡°Master Lucien¡­your smile is scary¡­¡± As I touched my face I noticed I had a bit of a contorted smile. Why do I have this habit whenever I think I have grasp of a situation¡­ ¡°Sorry about that¡­And look at that, we¡¯re here already¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really mind it since in a way, that smile is what saved me at one point, but such a smile might get you into problems inside of the Hall¡± ¡°I guess¡­Speaking of trouble, listen a bit¡± * * * ¡°What do you mean I have to wait to take the Aptitude Test!?! Don¡¯t you know who I am!? I am the son of the Vice-Governor!!! Do you have any idea what I can do to you if you cross me!?¡± Despite being towards the back end of the City Hall, a loud, egotistical voice resounded even outside of the building. And from the looks of the scene, patience in both extremes is portrayed in front of me, on one side we have what could only be described as a self-conceited douche that believes the influence and power of his parents are his own, and on the other we see a small receptionist whose existence right now is nothing less than being called a holy being for not putting the douche in his place. Keep fighting Ms. Rep! ¡°I¡¯m very sorry sir, but the man who reads the Affinity Stone is on break at this moment, if possible, could you wait 20 minutes, that¡¯s when his break ends, and then you can take the Aptitude Test. As you can see around you, there isn¡¯t anyone that comes before you, so might I ask again to please wait 20 minutes?¡± Looks like her business smile is breaking, but the douche doesn¡¯t plan on stopping. Well I have some business with Ms. Rep, so I¡¯ll pour some cold water on his head along the way. ¡°Excuse me Ms., it seems the Aptitude Test is on hold for the time being, is it possi-¡± ¡°Hey! What do you think I was doing, I was talking here!!¡± Loud, but too bad I don¡¯t crack for 16-year-olds. ¡°Could you please wait a moment, I am talking here¡± A vein popped in his head, the face is getting red with anger, and to make it better for Ms. Rep and Marla are holding back their laughter. Well, not like I had much interest in the douche. ¡°As I was saying Ms.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is it possible to set an appointment to take the Aptitude Test at a later hour?¡± ¡°Ah yes, it is possible, but it will cost you more than two 2 Copper Germas. It would be around 5 Copper Germas instead.¡± ¡°Minor rip-off wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the price for setting an appointment sir¡± So said Ms. Rep with a beaming smile, meanwhile the douche was reaching a level of anger that words wouldn¡¯t come out. ¡°*sigh* That¡¯s fine, put an appointment for 2 hours from now for 2 people¡± ¡°That will be for you and the young lady with you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s 10 Copper Germas right? Here you go.¡± ¡°Thank you very much sir. See you in 2 hours.¡± ¡°I should be saying the same to you Ms.¡± With that the exchange ended, but the douche unfortunately came back to reality. ¡°You!! Do you have any idea what you just did!? You ignored me and did your thing when I was the one here before you!!!¡± ¡°*sigh* I simply wanted to conclude my business with the receptionist. What you were doing isn¡¯t doing business, you were just screaming like a beast in heat because you couldn¡¯t get what you wanted. Now that I finished my business for the moment, I¡¯ll go attend something else. Let¡¯s go Marla.¡± ¡°Understood Master Lucien¡± 3 muffled laughs, 1 angry douche, and 1 pain in the ass for later, all were left as we left the City Hall. Originally I had planned on waiting like other people would, but spending time in the same place as that guy might have led me to do something I didn¡¯t want later¡­even though I already did something like that¡­ ¡°Master Lucien? Where are we going now?¡± ¡°To a tailor shop¡± ¡°A tailor shop? Do you ask for a new piece of clothing to be fitted?¡± ¡°Not for me, but for you¡± ¡°Fo-for me!?¡± ¡°Yep, remember what I told you and Claria when I brought you in?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I do¡­¡± ¡°I asked Claria to not pick anything for you to wear as your permanent maid clothes, I was going to pick those. You¡¯re finally capable of being a fully-fledged maid, and due to what just happened, I figured it¡¯s best to get your new clothes today rather than in a future date.¡± ¡°I-I understand. To think Master Lucien would send to make clothes for me¡­¡± ¡°Are you mad?¡± ¡°No, just a bit happy. What does it look like?¡± ¡°I wanted to make it look unique, so I want to leave it a surprise for now. Just keep in mind that it¡¯s still something a servant would wear.¡± ¡°Understood Master Lucien¡± Part 4 ¡°So, what do you think?¡± When asked the question, I turned to see a newly changed Marla, before she was wearing basic clothes that were a bit baggy since they were hand-me-downs from Claria. Thus, the first full set of clothes bought meant only for her were a happy occasion¡­but now I feel like scum for that being her work clothes. Sigh, too late for regrets. ¡°It looks wonderful on you, is it comfortable in all places and easy to move in?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± With a beaming smile, Marla looked to me, and it brought up the guilt once again that her first set of clothes are work clothes¡­well, I still think it¡¯s a unique look and fitting look. Marla is going to become my personal maid, but I didn¡¯t want her to be one more in the crowd, so her uniform matches the uniqueness I wanted. Simply put, Marla is wearing a mix-and-match of maid and butler clothing. The bottom part is a black skirt that goes past the knee, black knee socks and equally black shoes give her a little mystery to her legs, but the all-important white apron is still present. For the top, she¡¯s not wearing a long-sleeved blouse but a simple white undershirt that is covered by a black butler¡¯s vest and equally black tailcoat, and to complete the look, a pair of white gloves for each hand¡­I¡¯ll just tell myself that this isn¡¯t a weird taste I had and just something to make my maid stand out, yep, let¡¯s go with that. However, I¡¯m not quite done with the look. This time, it¡¯s something to compliment her personal looks, not the work looks. ¡°Marla, could you turn around and let me play with your hair for a second?¡± ¡°Wha-what!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not something perverted, relax! Also, close your eyes¡± ¡°Ye-yes¡­¡± Don¡¯t look so disappointed I¡¯m not harassing you! Well, whatever. Just a little more and it¡¯s done. ¡°There, you may open them now. What do you think now?¡± ¡°Tha-that¡¯s for me?¡± ¡°Yes, this one I had to ask a bit for, but the tailor of the shop was able to get what I wanted. So, how is it? Do you like it?¡± ¡°I-I love it¡­tha-thank you Master Lucien¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, I¡¯m just glad it was to your taste¡± After fixing her hair a bit, Marla¡¯s head now had added to her black hair a Japanese style needle hairpin. The pin has a simple design, good for daily use, the needle itself has a golden color, while at the end of it, 3 blue flowers with yellows hues stand proud. With this, the look is complete. ¡°Hehe, Master Lucien do you like it? You¡¯re blushing a bit¡± ¡°Eh? A-am I? Well I couldn¡¯t do less than that, it looks beautiful on you after all¡± ¡°Tha-thank you¡­¡± This is getting a bit awkward, someone, anyone, a little help please! ¡°Erm sir, is the buy to your liking?¡± Thank you Mr. Tailor! ¡°Yes, it is. So how much is it for the clothes and the pin?¡± ¡°1 Gold Germas sir¡± When she heard the price tag, Marla¡¯s face grimaced, I know it¡¯s expensive but don¡¯t act like I made a deal with the Devil¡­ ¡°Here you go¡± ¡°Thank you for your patronage¡± On the way out of the tailor shop, Marla¡¯s face changed from one of grim to one that lacks any emotions. Should I say something¡­? ¡°Um¡­Master Lucien. Is there a reason for you to do this for me? I remember that when you met me that all you were doing was as a way to pass the time, but isn¡¯t this too much? I¡¯m still just a poor woman in comparison to what I¡¯m wearing, even if it¡¯s work clothes, this-this isn¡¯t something that someone like me should be wearing. Especially this pin, this is would fit far better a woman of higher class, I-I-I¡± ¡°Marla!¡± I¡¯m getting angry, why is she likes this? Is it because of her background? No, it might be of what I said when we met, she might not remember other things but that left a strong impression on her¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± And now she¡¯s whimpering like a lost puppy¡­I¡¯ll try my best here. ¡°Marla, please don¡¯t misunderstand my actions back then with the ones today¡± ¡°*sniff*¡­?¡± ¡°Back in the alley, I might have just helped you for amusement and the same could be said when I began training you to become my maid. But the things I gave you today are meant to signify two very separate and very important reasons¡­¡± ¡°Two reasons¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, for one, those clothes are me keeping my word and acknowledging you as my personal maid. What you decide to do from now on, even if you wish to leave my side, it¡¯s something that¡¯s up to you, I simply kept my part in saying that I was making you someone I could count on.¡± ¡°Tha-thank you for that compliment Master Lucien, *sniff* but that still isn¡¯t a justified reason to spend such money on me¡­¡± ¡°Then let me get to the second reason before you begin your cry talking next time! Sigh, the second reason is my acknowledgement of you as someone important in my life. So please, stop crying over the things I choose to do and please accept my actions as the best I can do to express my feelings¡­¡± This is¡­embarrassing¡­I just wanted to stop her from crying but I think I gave some sort confession that I wasn¡¯t supposed to do. Nah, Marla, is smarter than that. ¡°I-I uu-u-understand Master Luciennn¡± Ah!!! She broke, she¡¯s blushing too much, no, you did a full 180o where are the tears from before? Were those a lie!? And if they weren¡¯t, aren¡¯t you misunderstanding a bit here? Marla, are you okay!? Marla! ¡°Master Lucien, I-¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not keep talking about this¡­it¡¯s time to go back for the Aptitude Test, let¡¯s go see what magic lies within you.¡± Better stop it before it turns into a bigger misunderstanding¡­I wonder why I feel bitter and guilty now¡­ * * * On the way back to the City Hall, Lucien failed to notice a Marla that was trying to hold back a grin. Part 5 Upon returning to the City Hall, I was glad to see that the douche was nowhere to be seen. And according to Ms. Rep, his foul mood was lifted as soon as he found himself with affinity towards both fire and water magic. Even though it¡¯s been proven that people with that combination almost never master both skills and focus on one, since they are complete opposites. Well, hopefully he masters it and makes a nice sauna somewhere. ¡°Sir, they are ready for you in the next room¡± ¡°Thank you, let¡¯s go Marla¡± Let¡¯s explain the Aptitude Test a bit, the test is divided into 3 numbers/categories, but since the third one is only useful within the Academy the Affinity Stone hails from, since it decides which ranks the students would fall in. Since we¡¯re outside of that system, only the first two numbers are necessary: From the moment I learned bit by bit about my blood, I remembered the words that Bastard God told me. Out of interest and amusement for himself, he said he would give me a handicap, and so far in my life, I¡¯ve had nothing but good luck in all things considered. I was born into a wealthy household and as a child I had the love and attention of my mother, later on our relationship will go separate ways as she had to focus in assisting father in his work, but still nothing to complain; they would still care and worry for me whenever I went out and did something that could hurt me, but for that I simply asked Claria or Maura to heal me with their magic, so no evidence to be found. Even the time I went out and got hurt, I managed to come back with someone I could depend on in the future, so once again, nothing to complain. And with all things considered, the personality of that God is the one of a sadistic joker, he will give me enough so that I want something, but at the same time, he keeps it far enough that I can¡¯t grasp it myself. At least, that¡¯s how he portrayed himself in my eyes. So that¡¯s my reasoning for why this test will just be a grim reminder that the Bastard is a God but also that he is without a doubt a bastard¡­why could this be his way of giving me divine punishment for killing myself? Or am I reading too deep into this, what if- ¡°Master Lucien, I believe it is your turn¡± ¡­I¡¯ll have to think a bit about this later¡­ ¡°Why don¡¯t you go first Marla¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish master¡± As I pushed her to go before me, Marla stepped in front of the man sitting behind a desk with the Affinity Stone laying on top. Following the man¡¯s instructions, Marla put her hand on the stone and after a few seconds, the man reading off the stone. ¡°Aptitude 1-3. Affinity yellow. Congratulations miss, it looks like you have some great potential dwelling within you.¡± With a nice business smile, the man gave Marla his opinion on her Aptitude, and then turned to me to ask if I was next. I followed the same procedure as Marla before me but, the seconds just passed, with no change to the stone, when the minute mark hit, the man noticed a change, but it wasn¡¯t the one he was expecting. ¡°I wonder if this thing is broken already, hehe, it seems to be giving me a small problem, wou-¡± ¡°Could you please read what is on the stone, I have a general idea already, but I just want to confirm. Please.¡± With a bitter look, almost as if what was happening right now was meant for him, the man just said. ¡°Understood¡­Aptitude 0-0. Affinity none¡­¡± Looks like my hunch was true afterall¡­ ¡°Thank you¡± I turned around to see an even bitter Marla, she looks like she wanted to say something but the words would come out for her. For me on the other hand¡­ ¡°See Marla, what did I tell you. Well not like it matters much, let¡¯s return for today. Please see if you can get a carriage to take us home.¡± ¡°Master, do you need anything else besides calling for a carriage? Water perhaps?¡± ¡°No, just the carriage is fine. Why? Is my face that depressing or something?¡± What was meant as a joke, was only met by a small nod by Marla. When I asked her what was wrong with my face, she just answered. ¡°It seems to be absent of any emotions and white, almost like looking at a sheet of paper¡­¡± ¡°I-I see¡­please, just call for the carriage. I¡¯ll go to the restroom for a second and wash my face.¡± ¡°¡­understood¡­¡± * * * Standing in front of the sink, I saw my reflection in the mirror in front of me, and¡­for the first time, I truly paid attention how I looked since I was reincarnated. I mean, my gray hair like father is still there and so are my yellow eyes like mother¡¯s, but for some reason I was looking at all the details in my face, and it was a face without an emotion¡­ I know I was expecting this to some extent, no I was almost sure of it, but now that it happened, I can only see it as a cruel joke. Should I despise that God for this or maybe despise my former self¡­? I don¡¯t know, even when knowing this was influence by an outside force, I can¡¯t bring any form of animosity on my face or within me¡­maybe, that¡¯s how I should feel. I wonder what I should do¡­earlier I was jokingly asking Marla if there was anything like a gun in this world, and if not that I would make one myself. That was a joke right¡­? No, a part of me knew that joke might have some meaning, I just didn¡¯t think it would show its meaning this fast. Even more than that, what should I do now¡­originally I planned to go to the Academy like Maura and see if I could specialize in a type of magic. But now, what should I do¡­I don¡¯t know¡­ I should go back, Marla probably waiting for me outside already. That¡¯s another thing, what do I do with Marla¡­I don¡¯t know¡­ * * * For the rest of that day and the next, Lucien didn¡¯t speak a word to anyone. And even when he started talking again, he still didn¡¯t know what to do¡­ End of Chapter 4 Chapter 5: Accepting Reality Chapter 5: Accepting Reality Part 1 *knock* *knock* ¡°Young master Lucien, your mother and father have requested your presence in the library¡± ¡°¡­I understand¡­I¡¯ll be there in a bit¡­¡± Three whole days since I found out I was inept to use magic. I don¡¯t get it, why am I so broken down over something that moments before I was joking about without a care in the world¡­? Is it because of how traumatic this is or is it a simple way of showing a crushed dream to someone? Maybe it¡¯s a bit of both or maybe it¡¯s neither. All I know is that I¡¯m doing something wrong to myself and those around me, yet I can¡¯t find within me the will to fix it, or rather I can¡¯t think of a solution¡­ I thought making a weapon of sorts would be a substitute for magic, but then I realized, why would I need to make something like a rifle or a gun in a fantasy world!? I thought of going to the Academy, but once again I just thought, what use would come of going to a place whose main selling point is the knowledge and expansion of magic in various fields¡­ Should I just focus on Marla¡¯s affinity and see how far it would go? But¡­would that be my accomplishment or Marla¡¯s? I don¡¯t know. And now for the first time in a while, I¡¯ve been called by my parents to discuss something in the library. The library is the place used in the mansion whenever something that can¡¯t be treated lightly is discussed, the last time I was there in such a manner was when I brought Marla home and I convinced my parents not to go after the loan shark. I already guess what the subject will be today, and that¡¯s another thing that not sure if I should be glad over or simply pissed at, my parents or rather nobody treated me any different. They said that it was just something odd to happen and to not let it get to me, that after all, the world is full of exceptions to everything and just how there are people with amazing intellect and capabilities, there are also those that for better or worse, life just gives them these handicaps. They were both extremely supportive since the moment they found out about the results, but that¡¯s what infuriated me a bit, after all, this family¡¯s livelihood is centered on a trading company that uses magic to give an easier delivery and better product than the competition. How could they not show any negative emotions to the fact that their son, can¡¯t contribute jack shit to the core idea of the company. I wonder if the discussion today will be about something that you see a lot in novels about novelty and such, banishment. Yeah, that sounds like the right thing to do if this was a fantasy novel¡­except that I¡¯m not noble, and my parents aren¡¯t that heartless. Once again, I¡¯m not sure if I should be extremely mad that my parents aren¡¯t upset towards me or extremely thankful for having such parents¡­ Part 2 ¡°You called for me?¡± While entering the library, I posed the expected question, to which my father simply replied with a nod and a request to sit in the chair in front of his desk. Both, mother and father, were sitting on the opposite side of the desk, a large collection of papers were spread out over it, but they still kept a tidy look to them. When I sat down and looked at them, they asked in earnest, although father was the one keeping the conversation afloat. ¡°How are you feeling today?¡± ¡°Better than yesterday, but I¡¯m still not fully accepting what has happened. Maybe it hit me more than I would have expected, hehe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s to be expected, take more time to cope with it, but Lucien, please don¡¯t be too impacted by this, you¡¯ve spent your whole life without magic, what difference does it make now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know myself why, but it doesn¡¯t sit right knowing I¡¯m lacking something others have. It¡¯s kind of how you see someone getting the daily bread on the market, but you¡¯re just the beggar on the street that can¡¯t afford any.¡± ¡°But what you lack in some parts, you can make up in others. You know, similar to how blind person has better earing or how a cripple is more dexterous with their hands.¡± ¡°Those aren¡¯t the nicest of examples if you¡¯re trying to cheer me up¡± ¡°I know, but those are best examples I could come up with. Lucien, your handicap is simply that you can¡¯t use magic but, so what, just because I can use it, doesn¡¯t mean I choose to. My magic is extremely low as is, if it wasn¡¯t for your mother, the family business couldn¡¯t have expanded as it is today, yet it only expanded because I worked besides her to guide others in following the things she did. If you can¡¯t use magic, use strength or knowledge to make up for it, and if doesn¡¯t come directly from you, find others that will follow you and use them. Their abilities are an extension of yours if done correctly.¡± ¡°That sounds a bit morbid¡­¡± ¡°That depends on how it¡¯s used, if you use an iron fist or control other aspects of their livelihoods, then without a doubt, it is morbid. However, if done correctly, it will just be having an ally, and that¡¯s what I want you to see. Do you understand?¡± Why do you sound like a motivational speaker? ¡°Yes, I understand. Thank you, that helped quite a bit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, now we can get into the real business¡± ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t the motivational talk the business?¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Oh no, that was just something I thought that you needed to hear so you would stop mopping so much. I mean, I doubt this is all it takes to stop it, but I believe it to be a step in the right direction.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Why is mom nodding to herself as father said that, were you thinking the same too? ¡°So, what is it that you want of me¡± At that moment, father¡¯s face turned from one of an understanding man to that of a cold cut businessman. Even the atmosphere in the room felt a tone shift as mom began moving around the papers to highlight the ones they wanted me to pay attention to¡­I swear the only thing missing here is the kanji for ¡°Menacing¡± popping up around him and we¡¯ve got a possible Stand user. ¡°Lucien, I would like to ask you as a business man, not as your father, for an opportunity to do some trading with me¡± I¡¯m confused¡­is this the same jolly fat man that is supposed to be my father? ¡°Trading? What do you mean?¡± ¡°What I mean to say is, I want to establish a clear trading route between Germas and the Academy, or rather the city that houses it. And I want you to be the one to map the fastest route to it, the one we have right now it¡¯s too time consuming and it costs me way more than it should. Any questions?¡± Seems like he is serious of this, so I guess I should be too. ¡°Various, first and foremost, why me? I mean, I¡¯m still 12-years-old, shouldn¡¯t you find more capable people for something like this? This is something that will affect you and by extension the whole family.¡± ¡°I am aware, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you, family, to do it¡± ¡°But why not ask Maura, she is in that city, wouldn¡¯t it be easier and more logical to ask your eldest child to do this?¡± ¡°Maura is currently studying, and besides when she returns she will be placed as the family head, so she must deal with this in the future¡± ¡°Then why not now and again why me? You just said it that Maura will be the family head and the company owner. So why ask this of me?¡± ¡°Because even if I don¡¯t want to abandon my son simply because he was born second! If I didn¡¯t place you as the inheritor, then I will do anything in my power to guide you to do something as great or greater. I¡¯m a man of business, but I am also your father. Right now, you seem to have lost a purpose you never had in life, I want this to be your trial run before I sent you out there for real. All you have to do is make a solid, safe and cost efficient trading route for the family company between Germas and the Academy, is that so hard to grasp?¡± ¡°¡­.no, I understand. I get your reasoning, even if it is a little bit pushed on, but that still doesn¡¯t change the first barrier, I¡¯m still 12-years-old.¡± ¡°I never said I planned to do it right now. Just like you said, you¡¯re 12, that¡¯s why you have time. When you turn 15 I will push on this project on to you, I¡¯m simply giving you the time and a goal to prepare to until then.¡± ¡°¡­That seems reasonable¡­¡± ¡°Glad we¡¯re on the same page, but even if you say that, it doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll hand you everything on a silver platter. I¡¯m giving you this time, so you can prepare everything you consider necessary. If you want to make this time to study maps, then do that, if you want it to hire people to protect you along the way, then do that, however, everything you do, I want you to do it with your own two hands, that brain of yours, and this.¡± As father said that, mom took out from a drawer and placed on the table a box, it was obvious, but the box had money inside of it. ¡°This box contains enough money to get you started, but nowhere enough to get you all the way, try earning that on your own¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too much to expect out of a kid?¡± ¡°Why is it too much? Your grandfather did the same to me when I was your age, that¡¯s how the route between Germas and the neighboring city of Largia was founded. And besides, you know much more than I did at your age, in this 12 years I know you¡¯ve been taking in all the possible information from this library and the outside, in particular when you got that girl to be your maid. I still don¡¯t approve of your actions to defend those that punched you back then, but like a smart business man, you made your expenses into a profit with that girl. So, do you have any other questions?¡± ¡°Just one more. If I decide to deny this, what will be of me?¡± ¡°Nothing. If you deny this, I won¡¯t condemn you or despise you or anything, however when you turn of age at 16, I will kick you out of this mansion and then you¡¯ll have to start your life elsewhere. What I¡¯m offering you here is an opportunity to test the world, if what you liked was the preparations for it, then become an accountant or project manager, those are always needed, if what you enjoyed was traveling, then explore this vast world, your mother knows very well I didn¡¯t. I just want you to find a track in life until you come of age, because if you¡¯re lost until then, you¡¯ll remain lost even after. So, I¡¯ll ask for one last time, will you do this business with me?¡± No matter how you look at it, this is just a forced way to get me to move, but I can¡¯t say it¡¯s the worst one, besides that, he¡¯s given me all the clear options I have, accept it and prepare or deny it and be kicked out later. Not the most varied of options but they help make the decision easier¡­and this whole time he never let down his business personality even when talking from the perspective of a father. He evens knows my answer but still wants to hear it. ¡°¡­I accept father. No, I accept Mr. Mercelious. I¡¯ll use the following 3 years as a preparation to create a faster trading route between here and the Academy, but I want something in exchange.¡± With an almost sinister smile, a bit fitting since it reminds me of the one I have, father asked. ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°When this is all over, I would like for you to remove me from the Mercelious family name¡± His smile disappeared, he put a difficult face for a few moments before answering. ¡°¡­Understood¡± At this response, mom wasn¡¯t too approving of it. ¡°Why!? Why would you say that!? He¡¯s your son and you Lucien! Why would you ask for something like that!?¡± ¡°¡­It hurts mom, even if you ask me to forget and move on, it still hurts that I¡¯m linked to a family whose business is known for its magic use, yet I can¡¯t even make the simplest of spells. I simply ask to lose the Mercelious title so I can live free of that burden, I know this is a selfish action on my part but I don¡¯t want people I don¡¯t know of calling me the family¡¯s Black Sheep or worse. I¡¯m not doing it as a way to protect the family, but as a way to protect myself. So please, understand my reasons to request of this.¡± When I gave my reason, my selfish reason, I bowed down towards my mother and asked for her permission and her forgiveness. I couldn¡¯t do anything else or think of another reason, I just asked to be rid of this invisible burden. ¡°¡­I understand, if that¡¯s¡­what you wish for Lucien¡­¡± The discussion continued a bit after that, but after it was over, the hollow burden I had on my back this morning is gone, but in its place, a burden filled task that will span for more than 3 years has been placed, and for it I have little to no clue what to do with it¡­I guess that first thing I¡¯ll do is talk with Marla about her magic. End of Chapter 5 Chapter 6: Marla鈥檚 Secret Chapter 6: Marla¡¯s Secret I am the personal maid of Master Lucien, the youngest member of the Mercelious household. My relationship within the household isn¡¯t one as honest as the one from the other servants. In my case, Master Lucien picked me up before I was meant to be given a morbid future, and as thankful as I am of it, sometimes I questions if some of my actions are truly honest¡­ In the past year I¡¯ve been taught the core knowledge on how to be a maid from my elder, Claria, and every other thing that was considered necessary by Master Lucien. Despite all of that, I might have told Master Lucien a white lie¡­well, it might have been a white lie at the time, but after recent events it turned into a full-blown one, and the reason for that is when Master Lucien and I took the Aptitude Test. A while back, half a year to be accurate, Master Lucien asked me whether or not I could use magic, at that time we were still in the high point of the grueling daily training so I was quite tired, and because of that I said my magic manifested once but due to my lack of use, it went to a dormant state. At the time I simply didn¡¯t want to have more things piled up on me, so I figured saying that would just leave the issue to be forgotten¡­but it wasn¡¯t. After I told him that, Master Lucien began researching how to reawaken a dormant affinity, but soon he found out that first one needed to know the individual¡¯s affinity in order to reawaken it, and¡­I lied, once again by saying I didn¡¯t know my affinity. And as time went on, nothing of importance happened, the training began decreasing and I was able to spend more time with Master Lucien as his maid, so I was happy¡­really happy, and I tried afterwards to tell him the truth but couldn¡¯t¡­ And then three days ago the issue of the Aptitude Test happened, Master Lucien had a strange premonition about himself, but I simply thought he was being pessimistic or rigorous on himself, but that wasn¡¯t the case, of course before that, some things happened that my guilt piled up higher than ever before. The action was simple, Master Lucien finally acknowledged me with being his maid by giving me, my custom-made uniform, if it was just that I probably wouldn¡¯t feel so bad right now, but Master Lucien didn¡¯t stop there¡­he gave me a hairpin, and it was beautiful. Although he never said anything, it was clear that hairpin was custom as well, but unlike the uniform, the pin was clearly meant for me as a woman. I was very happy to see him giving it to me and even happier to see him blush when he saw me wearing it. But at that point, my guilt was about to burst for telling him those white lies¡­but¡­I didn¡¯t bring myself to tell him. And then, at the end of that day when I saw his premonition come true, I realized how horribly I had messed up¡­I lied to the most important person right now in my life, simply because at the time I didn¡¯t want to work. How must it feel now if I told him that I could always use magic, when he was shown in front of his own eyes, that no matter what he did, magic was impossible for him. Should I tell him? Could I tell him¡­? No, if I don¡¯t tell him, I can¡¯t bring myself to be around him any longer. But as it is right now, he¡¯s soulless, he never had a goal but it was clear he looked forward to using magic himself. When should I tell him then¡­ As I was pondering that, I waited outside of the library on Claria¡¯s instructions, in her words, Master Lucien was called by his parents and the meeting should be ending soon. I wonder how he¡¯ll come out of that, should I tell him now or wait until later. No, no¡­I got it, I¡¯ll do it the moment I see him return to his former self¡­but how long will that take¡­? *slam* ¡°Ma-Master Lucien! You¡¯re truly out of your room! Do you need anything!?¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. With a strong sound, Master Lucien came out of the library, his head was lowered and at a first I thought he was still depressed, so I tried calling him again. ¡°Master Lucien¡­Master Lucien¡­¡± My patience is running thin, I want him to acknowledge I¡¯m in front of him, but I also want him to move. From the moment he came out of the library, he just stood there in place like he was in deep thought, but that¡¯s when I became a bit louder. ¡°Master Lucien!¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, yes, what is it Marla? Actually, no time for that, I¡¯m going to my room if you need me, I¡¯ll be there¡± I was confused, he just came out and talked in a stronger tone but I still wasn¡¯t sure, is he putting up a front or is he back to normal? ¡°Eh? Master Lucien, please stop and look at me!¡± ¡°What!? What is it?¡± The moment he turned, his eyes, they weren¡¯t soulless anymore. Master Lucien had returned to his former self, or at least that¡¯s how it looked. I said I would tell him when I saw him go back to his former self, but it doesn¡¯t have to be so soon¡­right¡­? I¡¯m afraid of the consequences¡­ ¡°Do you need anything from me?¡± ¡°Actually, I do. Marla, could you please prepare a light snack and come to my room, it¡¯s going to be a long day.¡± ¡°Understood. But, might I ask why you need me?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We finally learned about your affinity, now we have to find how to get it out of its dormant state¡± ¡­Did he see through me? No¡­Master Lucien is just worried in his own way for me¡­I have to tell him, and I have to do it now¡­ ¡°Master Lucien¡­I actually have something to confess¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I might have told a lie in past¡­well¡­I think it¡¯s closer to two lies¡­¡± As I said that, Master Lucien turned his full attention to me, I think he¡¯s paying more attention now than in other situations¡­does he hate lies or does he hate the idea of me lying to him¡­ ¡°I actually knew my magic affinity¡­furthermore, my magic¡­was never in a dormant state¡­¡± I braced myself but the worse, but nothing came. Instead, Master Lucien just said two lines that for some reason pained me more than anything else I could have imagined. ¡°¡­I see. So you lied to me.¡± I could feel the tears flowing, over something like this and because of his distant reaction, I couldn¡¯t help but crying. ¡°*sniff* I-I-I¡¯m truly sorry...*sniff* Master Lucien. *sniff* Please, forgive me *sniff*¡± Crying my eyes out more than I¡¯ve ever done in front of him, feeling a pain that definitely wouldn¡¯t be found in others¡­I braced for his answer, for his rage to be released¡­Instead, I only felt a soft hand patting me head and a soft laugh complimenting it. ¡°Hehe, so that¡¯s how it is. You knew all along, I won¡¯t ask for the reason because I feel I might lose something else from that, hehe. Well that makes life a lot easier. Marla, come with me.¡± ¡°Whe-where to?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t obvious? I¡¯m going to turn you and your magic into something that I can use. The lie, no more like the secret, hurt me a bit, but I¡¯ll forgive it, after all, we all have some skeletons in the closet¡­¡± As I cleaned the last of my tears I looked to see Master Lucien walking back to his room, his face was smiling, but his eyes were a little sorrowful when he said that... Without even raising a hand of anger, he was the man that managed to bring me to tears, both of sorrow and of joy. I regret this lie I made, I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t trust me as much for the near future¡­but I want to do everything in my power to gain it back. After all, he¡¯s the boy...no¡­he¡¯s the man who saved me, he¡¯s my benefactor, and once again, I confirmed myself, he¡¯s the man I¡¯ve fallen for¡­ End of Chapter 6 Chapter 7: Marla鈥檚 Magic Chapter 7: Marla¡¯s Magic Part 1 Leaving the library yesterday, I met with Marla, but as I went ignoring her due to all the things in my mind, she seemed to really express/release her opinion. She gave me yell that normally it would be seen as an overstepping of bounds between master and servant, but since I don¡¯t care much for those and since it was my fault as well, I let it pass, however by the time our conversation came to a conclusion, I learned a few things. ¡°I actually knew my magic affinity¡­furthermore, my magic¡­was never in a dormant state¡­¡± That¡¯s right. Marla was always able to use magic and she even went as far as knowing full well her affinity, when looking at her, I had a mixed of emotions within me. Some sadness, others anger, but the one that resonated the most was guilt. Not guilt that Marla might have felt towards me at the moment, but guilt towards myself, after all, I¡¯m probably the biggest secret within this mansion, and that¡¯s why I can¡¯t show my full anger towards Marla. So, I decided to forgive her¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t obvious? I¡¯m going to turn you and your magic into something that I can use. The lie, no more like the secret, hurt me a bit, but I¡¯ll forgive it, after all, we all have some skeletons in the closet¡­¡± I tried sounding the nicest possible while doing that, but I¡¯m not sure if my message got through, one thing is for certain though. Even if I have forgiven her, my trust for Marla has decreased as well¡­I¡¯ll try and focus on other things for now, particularly her training, I myself can¡¯t do anything with magic, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not going to use her assets. After all, she¡¯s the only solid piece I have in my disposal for the deal I just made with father, I¡¯ll get the rest in the future. I hope you¡¯re ready Marla, I¡¯m going to pay back your lie with work by the tenfold, with your capabilities¡­but should I really spend that much on her? Part 2 ¡°Marla, if I remember correctly, you said you already knew your affinity. Could it be you can use basic spells or is it something else?¡± While standing on the clearing before entering the forest trail, I asked Marla what was what she was able to do and how she could do it. Based on the results, I¡¯d start working from there. ¡°Since I never pursued it, I don¡¯t know how to use any spells¡­the best I can do and by extent, the reason why I knew my affinity, is because whenever I released a relaxed my body too much, small sparks would appear from it¡­When I¡¯m asleep this doesn¡¯t happen, but if by some reason I decided to relax right now, I could feel the sparks flowing through my body and my hair begin losing its place.¡± Absolutely no control of her power but still aware of it enough to keep it from being noticed, shouldn¡¯t it usually be when you get a strong emotion or a rash action, rather than relaxing¡­? Interesting, let¡¯s try this for now. I have absolutely no clue how to control or use magic, however, I have a nice book about the basics of military magic and some oddly fitting knowledge from media of my old life on how to deal with this. ¡°¡­In that case¡­Marla, could you attempt to only relax your right hand and let me see the sparks flow?¡± With a small nod, Marla followed my instructions to the letter, and it seems to work¡­for a few seconds. ¡°Kyaa!!¡± ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°I-I think so¡­¡± ¡­It wasn¡¯t okay at all¡­the area she relaxed had the electricity flow within it beautifully, however, the rest of the arm wasn¡¯t. The sparks came into contract with the arm after a few seconds, and the sleeve of the vest was ripped in some parts. It didn¡¯t reach the skin this time, but it was clear that this method would only lead her to be scarred later on¡­ ¡°We need to find a way to have you control your affinity at will before we try anything else¡­Marla, has this ever happened before?¡± ¡°Not that I can remember, I only did this a few times when it manifested, but since I soon learned to keep it in check by not overly relaxing, I hadn¡¯t dealt with it for almost a year now¡± ¡°¡­How about relaxing your whole body and letting the sparks flow freely through it?¡± ¡°Understood¡± This time, the results were completely different, Marla was never harmed even after 30 seconds, in exchange for that however, the flow of electricity was minimum, one could even say it was invisible most of the time. The only place that kept a constant, easy to see view of the electricity was around the hairpin that I gave Marla¡­let¡¯s test something out. ¡°Marla, could you take off your hairpin and hold it in your hand?¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Following my instructions with a confused look, Marla got the hairpin from her hair and placed it on her right hand. ¡°Now, relax again and let the sparks flow¡± ¡­I see, hehe, so that¡¯s what we need. A lighting rod. Due to her lack of experience with her affinity, Marla can¡¯t control the flow of her electricity, in place of that, a small aid is added, in this scenario the aid came in the form of a metal hairpin. While the almost invisible current of electricity is still flowing through her body, with the pin acting as a focal point, the sparks are clear around it and better yet, Marla isn¡¯t being harmed by it. ¡°All good, Marla you can stop now¡± ¡°U-Understood¡­¡± Breathing heavily, Marla was clearly fatigued from using her magic for so long. The Affinity Stone said she was a 3 in mana capacity, and that¡¯s on the higher side of the spectrum, but nothing goes to its fullest in the first try. ¡°That¡¯s enough for today Marla, you did great. Let¡¯s go back and get you some rest.¡± ¡°Tha-thank you¡­Master Lucien¡­¡± ¡°We finally found the way to attract your magic to somewhere you can begin controlling it, but I don¡¯t like you using the pin for it¡± ¡°Wh-why is that¡­?¡± ¡°Despite being a good lighting rod, the pin is still something among the lines of a decoration, simply put, I don¡¯t want this to shatter due to misuse¡± As I said that, I was putting the pin back in place like I did when we first got it. Marla¡¯s face showed signs of blushing, however, due to her exhaustion and heavy breathing, something that normally would be cute, it¡¯s instead creepy and a bit scary. ¡°Thank¡­you, Master¡­Lucien¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, let¡¯s go back inside, I need to figure out what to use as your lighting rod in the future, along with how to make you at least control the flow so when you have your pin on, it doesn¡¯t act as a second lighting rod and it breaks¡± Part 3 While letting Marla relax and regain her mana for the afternoon, I decided to list some of the things I¡¯ll need to begin putting together for the travel. Although I have the recollection of traveling in my old life, I have absolutely no idea how to put together a traveling bag, let alone everything else that¡¯s included for the trip¡­ Per the traveling books and maps of the country, the best route from Germas to the Academy is travel north through the Borea Forest route, that route would only take 5 to 10 days of travel depending on the weather, the terrain is mostly flatlands so the preferred beast of burden is the chibar, a horned horse-like beast. The only problem with the route is that the route is also commonly used by slave traders and other people of less than welcoming backgrounds, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m guaranteed to be robbed, but it seems that the only successful way to go around this is to either find a method of clear self-defense or hire mercenaries¡­ ¡°¡­ah but hiring mercenaries is an extra waste that I don¡¯t wish to have¡± *knock**knock* ¡°Master Lucien, your afternoon tea¡± ¡°Ah, come in, leave it here and then lay down in the bed over there¡± ¡°Wh-why!?¡± ¡°I told you to relax for the afternoon and here you are doing more work, that won¡¯t help your mana and fatigue replenish. So, lay down on the bed and stop complaining.¡± ¡°Understood, but isn¡¯t there somewhere else for me to rest at, after all, a servant should never rest in her master¡¯s bed¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t really care for it¡± ¡°U-understood Master Lucien¡± The whole conversation with Marla was completely done without me once changing my sights from the books and papers in front of me¡­I wonder if that was rude, I¡¯ll drink the tea and compliment her on it. ¡°¡­it¡¯s good, you¡¯re getting better at it¡± ¡°Tha-thank you¡­Master Lucien, what is it that you¡¯re working on there?¡± ¡°Plans¡± ¡°Plans? What for?¡± ¡°I already told you of the talk with father, so now I¡¯m trying to put together a list of everything I¡¯ll need. I found the best possible route, but that one requires a source of income I don¡¯t have.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the cost?¡± ¡°Protection, mercenaries to be exact. We can achieve some level of self-defense between you and me, but that won¡¯t be enough to travel for 10 days through a forest route that slave traders and country bandits use. We need more people, not just for protection, but for food preparation and guarding at night, point is, I don¡¯t want to spend my budget on mercenaries¡­now that I think about it, I also need a way to expand my budget¡­FUCK!!!¡± ¡°Master Lucien!? What was that!?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just a stress relief word from another language. Don¡¯t worry too much for it.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­well, as for the protection, Master Lucien, do you have a problem with slave traders?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m a fan of slavery, no I think the opposite, it¡¯s a putrid thing in every sense of the word. Treating humans as less than animals, but more than that, the idea of how many profit from it, I can¡¯t say it¡¯s something that I could ever think good of.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me, you want me to buy off a slave or two for protection?¡± ¡°*nod* I-I believe it will be the most cost efficient way to achieve what you desire¡± ¡°*sigh* Well, you heard what I said, I have no desire to pay off a slave trader¡± ¡°How about doing it for the slave then?¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°You can buy a slave, use their labor to make up for what you spent on them, and then release them. You get your workers, they get a chance to be free, and it will all be better cost efficient than hiring mercenaries¡± ¡°That does sound tempting, maybe we should try that. Well it will depend on how expensive the slaves are, but it sounds solid, we¡¯ll go next week. But until then, I want you to be able to expand your mana pool, you have the potential but it can¡¯t be accessed yet.¡± ¡°Understood Master Lucien¡± Using a slave as a cheaper resource than a mercenary¡­not bad Marla¡­but¡­I¡¯m worried to think what that mind of yours might be thinking sometimes¡­Maybe I should start thinking of moving on from Marla in the future as well¡­ End of Chapter 7 Eurena World Map & Series Questions Not a real chapter but the world map that the series takes place at, sorry it''s simplistic, but this is the best I can do with Photoshop. If you have any questions about the map or the series as a whole, use this "chapter" to do so, if I feel the question will spoil something important later on, then I won''t answer it. But more than that, I wanted to give a visual aid to those reading the series, since coming from personal experience, knowing where things are set in the setting of a story makes life easier for me when reading.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Also a chapter/intermission will be coming out soon enough so please bear with the slow time it took me to write and kind of failing in the previous chapter. Once again thank you for your time, support and comments and here is Eurena''s World Map. Intermission 2: The God and the Vitan Intermission 2: The God and the Vitan ¡°Welcome, it¡¯s been a while hasn¡¯t it?¡± In an empty room with only papers and a pillow as the makeshift furniture, a well-trimmed man greeted a visitor to his personal world. ¡°It truly has been God, well not like I can do much about it, it takes time for higher beings of different worlds to meet, even more if they are of a higher and lower plane¡± ¡°Me? A higher plane God? You¡¯re too kind Felitsa¡± The one who entered the room was a Vitan, a form of god but unlike God, she shared her world with others of her kind. Red hair with black streaks, black eyes, and wearing a gaudy kimono which made one question which world she was a part of. ¡°Still a fan of the culture in my world aren¡¯t you? Ah, where are my manners have a seat.¡± As he said that, in front of the God, a number of stacks of paper disappeared and in its place, a pillow similar to his materialized. ¡°Thank you, and whatever do you mean taking your culture? My temple has always followed this look, not my fault that some of the religions in your world made out that what they perceive as the Shinto Gods liked this look.¡± ¡°If you say so¡± Who was right and who was wrong in this accusation? Neither of them knew, it was just their idle talk every time they meet. ¡°Would you like something to drink? I can¡¯t really offer much though¡± ¡°You have any sake? I have a strong liking to it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing, just questioning if my silly accusation holds meaning to it, fufu¡± Just like the pillow before, a bottle of sake and two glasses materialized in the room, after pouring a drink and taking it, the Vitan by the name of Felitsa began the talk that really brought her to this room. ¡°So, what made you decide to send your Wanderer to the world I inhabit?¡± ¡°Mm? Isn¡¯t obvious? You requested me to assist you 10 millennia ago, at that time I could provide nothing in your cause, but finally something came along. Aren¡¯t you fine with that?¡± ¡°¡­Why would you assist now, when you didn¡¯t before? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll gain anything out of this, at least before I could offer something but now I¡¯m too weak to even do that.¡± ¡°My profit is the entertainment the Wanderer I sent is giving me, have you seen him? After all, you plan to make him your husband.¡± With a cynical grin, the God looked at Felitsa as he openly reminded her of what she asked of him the first time. ¡°Erm, *cough* ye-yes, that too¡± ¡°You¡¯re really innocent aren¡¯t you Felitsa? Well, the best way to describe him sin¡¯t really husband, he could also be strategic piece, a lover, a pawn, a fake cover, perhaps? Which of these do you believe best fits the circumstances of what you¡¯re doing with the Wanderer of my world?¡± The grin became darker and the eyes looked like nothing less of a cat playing with a mouse. Yet, the man never did more than that and just let the Vitan tell her opinion on the matter. ¡°Erm, *cough* preferably I would say I want him as a cover, but a cover is useless when it comes to Bastian, so the only option would be becoming a lover and then marrying him¡± ¡°Interesting, interesting, just thinking about it, that brute of Bastian really did a number on you back when you first asked of my help. What was it again that he said? ¡®Become one of my mistresses or prove to me that it will be impossible for it to be¡¯¡± ¡°You really memorized that?¡± ¡°Indeed, I actually have recorded in one of my papers. But going back to your issue, the way Bastian put it, he wanted you to be his sex toy, but you also needed to unconditionally love him, if you couldn¡¯t love him, then you needed to show someone you did love instead. Ah, and that individual had to return their love to you, did I get it all right?¡± While giving a cold stare to the grinning God, Felitsa nodded and signaled him to keep talking, since he looked like he had more to say. ¡°However, I must ask, if the man gave you so much time to find a partner, why didn¡¯t you find one?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it wasn¡¯t enough time in the least!! What was I supposed to do, just lay myself barren to the first man I find in Eurena!?¡± ¡°Not enough time? Sweetie, you do realize that in 10 millennia, humans, the current main race in my world, managed to evolve from hunters and gatherers to individuals that can travel though space and even more right? So, you mean to tell me, that in that gigantic window of time, you never once managed to find a man, or even a woman, to your liking?¡± He kept his smile, but the tone and eyes of the God were turning serious with every line he spouted. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s say you didn¡¯t, so why do you cling to the hope that the Wanderer I sent to the world you inhabit, will be able to not only meet you, but get close to you, marry you and by extension be prepared to fight against one of the higher Vitans of Gelu!?¡± ¡°We-we-well, I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m just desperate, I was stupid to not search during that time, and even if I did search during that time, my power began to dwindle with time and right now, I¡¯m barely able to scrape by without my temple collapsing on me!! *sniff* *sniff*¡± ¡°Tissue?¡± ¡°Tha-thank you¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. On the sight of the crying Felitsa, the God finally broke his grinning barrier and decided to seriously think a bit of her problem. ¡°¡­Fine, let¡¯s say that Hugh, no, his name is Lucien now, let¡¯s say that Lucien for some miraculous reason fall in love with you and marries you. You have your partner, but I don¡¯t think he will be of much good in actual combat if Bastian gets serious and tries to take you.¡± ¡°Wh-why is that?¡± ¡°Because Lucien has no magic, haven¡¯t you searched or seen anything about him?¡± With the sound of glass shattering in Felitsa¡¯s mind, she hurriedly asked why her last hope instead of becoming someone¡¯s mistress was with a complete lack of magic within him. ¡°Wh-why would that be?¡± ¡°Mmm? Ah, that¡¯s because I took it from him¡± ¡°Why would you do that!? Rather, isn¡¯t that a horrible thing to do to anyone that becomes a Wanderer? Give them the hope of something great in their new life and then take it from them without them even knowing!?¡± ¡°Oh without a doubt, however I felt it was a fitting thing to do. You know how I feel about people who end their own lives.¡± ¡°¡­He killed himself, yet he still classified to be a Wanderer?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t die solely for his self-pity, but partially because he felt as a burden to those around him, that¡¯s why he could still be reincarnated, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have forgiven him. So, I gave him a small handicap, but in exchange his body evolved a substitute to the magic lack with his blood control.¡± ¡°Blood control?¡± ¡°You really annoy me with all those questions, learn a bit more about the guy you plan to marry why don¡¯t you!¡± ¡°I would if I could, but with how my power is right now, anything outside of direct mind manipulation and pyromancy is out of my reach¡± ¡°*sigh*, well, it goes like this. Lucien¡¯s body to make up for the lack of magic power began to work so that he could control his blood as long as it was out of his blood stream, he can¡¯t do much with it now, but from his background, he has the knowledge to make that into something very interesting. There, does that summarize the Dummies version of Lucien¡¯s blood control? Good, no questions allowed.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Killing time. Point is his body tried to make up for him not having mana, if you want to learn more, then observe him. Here use this.¡± Felitsa was handed a sheet of paper, one side was blank and the other was written so much that the white paper was almost pure black. ¡°This is?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a Seer Paper, well a copy at least, it¡¯s supposed to allow you to find and observe the individual whose information is written on it. It¡¯s very delicate, so use it wisely. This should let you observe him, but it won¡¯t let you interact with him, for that I recommend you to go meet him or guide him to your temple.¡± ¡°¡­How do I activate it?¡± ¡°Implant your index finger here, input some of your mana and it will show you his actions in equivalent to how much mana you inputted¡± ¡°Thank you, but¡­won¡¯t this make me seem like a stalker? And why do you have this?¡± ¡°Probably, and because I¡¯m the God of his world remember? I keep track of each and every individual that is born within it, I just have his closer since it gives me a source of entertainment and it¡¯s important to keep track of the Wanderers.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± ¡°Stop looking at me with those pitiful eyes. Here, activate it.¡± When Felitsa poured her mana in the loose sheet, the paper straightened out and began to glow on the white side, in it, it showed a bird¡¯s eye view of Lucien. Upon seeing him, Felitsa was filled with more questions than answers. ¡°Is that him? Isn¡¯t he a tad bit too young?¡± ¡°Compared to you or by human standards? Haha, I¡¯m kidding, put that glare away. But yeah, that¡¯s him, and yes he is young, however humans grow extremely fast compared to other sentient races, give him 3 or 4 years and he¡¯ll start to look the part you want.¡± ¡°Who is that next to him? And where are they?¡± ¡°That would be his maid, Marla, shifty girl but she¡¯s in love with him, so she won¡¯t harm him don¡¯t worry¡­wait, she¡¯s a rival for you, isn¡¯t she...perhaps is best I stop with my jokes. As for where they are¡­oh that¡¯s right, today was when he was planning to go to the slave market.¡± ¡°A personal maid that loves her master¡­wait, slave market? Why is he there!? Isn¡¯t he just a kid?¡± ¡°A kid with the intelligence of an adult, he¡¯s doing that for a deal he made with his father¡­oh? Looks like he¡¯s doing something interesting again, fufu.¡± ¡°What is he do-¡± The mana ran out and the paper lost its¡¯ light and became loose once again. ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough for now. You know how to use it and how to keep track on him. Who knows, maybe you¡¯ll be able to hit it off before Bastian comes for you in¡­¡± ¡°10 years¡± ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s sooner than I thought. No wonder you¡¯re fricking out... Well, I¡¯ll give you a piece of guidance, take a look at these.¡± Similar to the pillow and the sake before, a collection of pictures materialized out of thin air in front of the two. The pictures had a range of focal points and targets, but all shared a theme of nature. ¡°And these are?¡± ¡°Pictures taken by him. Despite his professional career, the kid had the capabilities of making a living out of wildlife photography, but he kept it solely as a hobby, however the things he got through the lens of his camera are outstanding if I do say so myself.¡± While looking through the pictures, Felitsa could only nod to the God¡¯s words, it looked like she was mesmerized by them. A panorama picture of a sand bar filled with water birds to a close-up of a resting jaguar with an Aztec pyramid as a backdrop. Each picture spoke a tale and all of them were taken by the person whose current looks were that of a 12-year-old boy. ¡°*cough*¡± ¡°Ah? Oh, sorry, I got lost looking at them. Erm, so why did you show me these?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hint to help you, the man has a strong interest for the natural world, give him the right pieces to explore it and he¡¯ll be thankful for it¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just me buying his love?¡± ¡°Might seem like so at first, but you just need a middle ground to work with him, get close and then make him yours¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re dark, but I might use that¡­¡± ¡°Fufu, I¡¯m glad, and don¡¯t worry, as long as you don¡¯t hurt or blatantly lie to him, he won¡¯t resent you. He has some personal problems, but he is still wary of his surroundings. Remember his maid? She told him a small lie, but because of that lie, his trust in her decreased a bit and now he¡¯s getting new ideas in his head on how to deal with her.¡± ¡°The-then, what should I do?¡± ¡°Watch over him, get close to him, but like with most things in the universe, don¡¯t get on his bad side. Even if he won¡¯t do anything to hurt you, he¡¯ll probably still leave a sense of guilt on those that hurt him. But don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s still a good person.¡± ¡°After saying something like that, what makes you so sure?¡± ¡°Even if he lost his memories from his previous life, he still acts in a similar manner to how he did when he was Hugh, and that greedy man still had a strong but hard to reach caring side. Get on that side, and you got yourself the husband you need.¡± Unaware of her actions, to the God¡¯s words, Felitsa gave a soft, sincere smile, the smile of someone developing a crush, but the God didn¡¯t bother to point it out, since he deemed it too much of a bad manner. ¡°I see, thank you Go-no. thank you Pietro.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure Felitsa. Well, best be on your way now, thank you for the visit and have a nice day.¡± Felitsa took one last sip from her glass, rose form her sit and left the room. Inside the room, the God by the name of Pietro just stood still for a few minutes, and afterwards he began to look over his papers again. In amidst the work, Pietro muttered. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t be of much use and I know the time has long passed to serve any meaning¡­but I hope you make good use of the best aid I can give you¡­my dear daughter, Felitsa¡­¡± With those words, he turned back to his regular self and began working once again while humming a cheerful tune. End of Intermission 2 Chapter 8: The Cat, the Hare, and the Snake Chapter 8: The Cat, the Snake and the Hare Part 1 Going through the slave market, I looked around for a dealer that fulfilled what I was looking for, along with one that would fit the amount within my budget. Marla next to me however, seems to be worried of my choices. ¡°Master Lucien, do we really have to go far into the market?¡± ¡°Stop sounding so scared for it, the further you go in, the better chance you have of the products being cheaper, isn¡¯t that how it works?¡± ¡°I guess¡­but there¡¯s also something else that becomes available the further you go in¡­¡± ¡°You mean slaves from other races?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah¡­¡± ¡°Do you have some sort of discrimination towards them?¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t say it¡¯s as strong as discrimination, but you could say it¡¯s an innate fear?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know yourself why you¡¯re like that, yet you still fear it? Was there a time in the past where the races were at war with each other? It¡¯s true that if there¡¯s a strained relationship or barrier in a place for a long period, future generations will still be affected by it even if it¡¯s not there.¡± ¡°I believe there were periods of war many millennia ago, but that all stopped with the appearance of the Vitans¡± ¡°Who told you that? I don¡¯t remember reading that in any book of the library.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because those are stories sung in the plazas during festivals by traveling entertainers. You¡¯ve never seen one Master Lucien?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say that I have, well, not like it matters. So, why was that the appearance of the Vitans meant the other races stopped fighting?¡± ¡°¡­There are many ways people sang it, but it was either because seeing someone greater than them, the races bowed their heads to them and saw them as their true leaders or because of that fear that is carried for the other races, turned towards them.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°The races might have stopped their wars because of the sight of a greater danger, you know, like why waste potential into something equal or less than you, when there¡¯s something far stronger looking over you.¡± ¡°Simply put, it¡¯s not that the races get along, it¡¯s just that they don¡¯t each other as much of a threat as they did millennia ago?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the best way to summarize it¡± ¡°I see¡­Marla, did the singers say all of those things you told me, or did you make them up?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a combination of the two, I remembered what I used to hear from the singers, but I also put together other things I¡¯ve learned since I became your servant and your input in my behavior a few minutes back.¡± As always, Marla is showing her insight, but I can¡¯t help but wonder if I should keep someone like her around. If it was just her intelligence I¡¯d welcome it, but I never thought such a little lie would make me worried of keeping her close by¡­maybe it¡¯s because of how long she kept the lie that I¡¯m worried¡­ ¡°I see¡­but, if you know all of that, then why are you still afraid?¡± ¡°The difference of power¡­¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Even if they are bound and are considered, races outside of Humalus have a strong number of things that make them stronger than us¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case with every race?¡± ¡°I guess¡­but even after that, Master Lucien, you¡¯re still young. Do you really believe you can stand your ground against an adult Cannidus or not be charmed by a Sirenean?¡± ¡°¡­Can¡¯t confidently say I can, but at the same time I think those are the best options we have¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Other races go cheaper than Humalus slaves, add to that that if we get members of a strong race, it¡¯s cheaper to pay for one of them than 3 or 5 Humalus¡± ¡°So¡­in the end, it all comes down to the budget?¡± ¡°Pretty much¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of them?¡± ¡°Of the other races? Why would I? After all, they are just as sentient and advanced as you and me, they just have some things we don¡¯t have, but they would look at us the same way.¡± ¡°Understood Master Lucien¡± Maybe after seeing my confidence, Marla showed some relief. So the discrimination in this world is a fear of the different, rather than a hatred¡­you learn something new every day. ¡°Master Lucien, would that place fit what you want? It specializes in non-Humalus slaves, and since we¡¯re pretty into the slave market, it seems that the prices are lower than further back¡± ¡°Yeah¡­it also seems like a bit further it just goes so cheap that even the slaves are in poor health conditions, I don¡¯t want to be heartless, but I don¡¯t like spending more than it¡¯s worth either¡± ¡°Shall we go in?¡± With Marla¡¯s leading question, we stepped into one of the slave tents of the area. It was in good condition, but compared to the solid slave houses at the entrance of the market, the structure of the building told you how much to expect in the price range, along with the quality. Buildings in the main area, tents further back, and cart or just outside at the furthest back. That¡¯s how the Germas slave market was structured. Part 2 ¡°Is there something I can help you with kid?¡± The merchant in front of me is of a hefty build, early 40¡¯s, but with clear eyes to differentiate between costumer and window shopper. ¡°Yes, I have some money with me and I would like to buy some slaves that could double for defense or outdoors work.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­do you need them Humalus or are you fine with something else?¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer it if they weren¡¯t Humalus, particularly something of the beast races. You know, they are better strength wise.¡± ¡°I see¡­well we have a bit of selection when it comes to that. A shipment came in last week and we haven¡¯t sold too many yet.¡± ¡°Mind showing them?¡± ¡°With pleasure, besides being beast and good for the outdoors, any other requirement?¡± ¡°Appealing to the eye, I guess? But keep that as a secondary requirement.¡± ¡°Understood, while you wait, please go behind that curtain and take a sit. I¡¯ll bring out the products in a few minutes.¡± With those words, the hefty merchant began walking in the direction of the cages where the slaves were kept at. Marla on the other hand seemed to react a bit to my secondary requirement, but I don¡¯t plan to acknowledge that bloodlust. The inside of the curtain had a chair and nothing more, normal courtesy would say that Marla would sit, but since having the master standing while the servant is resting is looking down upon, I took the sit with her standing behind me. ¡°Ma-master Lucien¡­was there a need to ask for an attractive slave?¡± Not letting me ignore it¡­annoying¡­ ¡°It¡¯s easier to create conversation with individuals whose appearance doesn¡¯t make you flinch or wince. Besides that, excuse me for wanting to see a cute beast girl, but it¡¯s not like I limited my appeal to only female, so the merchant will probably pick of both genders.¡± ¡°I see¡­wait, could it be that Master Lucien has a thing of beast people?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t particularly deny it, however my idea for a partner is that anything is open as long as the individual is easy on the eyes and has a fitting personality to bounce off mine.¡± With a bored tone and never looking in her direction, I answered Marla, but she on the other hand seemed to take the subject extremely seriously. ¡°I-I see¡­then Master Lucien, how does my looks and personality work for you?¡± Way to wear your motives on your sleeve Marla¡­looks like the merchant is getting here soon enough, let me have a bit of fun with her.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Looks wise, I¡¯d say that you¡¯re way past simply being easy on the eyes¡­¡± By simply calling her pretty, I could see from the corner of my eye that Marla was as red as a cherry. But it looks like the part she wants to hear about is yet to come. ¡°¡­as for your personality, I¡¯d say-¡± ¡°Sorry for the wait kid¡± ¡°No problem¡± The merchant came in, I ended the conversation short, and I could see Marla with a bit of despair due to the absence of an answer¡­amusing. ¡°So, what is it that you have to offer me?¡± As I asked the question, the merchant began to align a variety of member of the beast tribe, 7 in total, 3 males and 4 females. ¡°Let see. Well first off¡­¡± He snapped his fingers, and three of the four women began taking their tops off, the men were already bare chested so there wasn¡¯t a problem there. However, he wasn¡¯t amused one of the women, no, she¡¯s closer to being a girl, wasn¡¯t taking her top off. ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing!? Take your rags off now, you need to show your potential master all of your goods!!¡± The girl was scared, tears began swelling, but she was still reluctant and said no to it. The merchant was angry over this and was about to hit her but, I don¡¯t like men hitting women, at least not in front of me, call it a hypocrite¡¯s chivalry. ¡°It¡¯s fine, miss you can keep your rags on, the same is for the other three, all of you can put them back on¡± ¡°I-if you say so kid¡­¡± The merchant hesitated to admit the misbehavior of his merchandise, but he couldn¡¯t show an uglier side in front of his customer. ¡°Erm, was I was noting before. These are the best I can provide based on what you asked of me. From left to right, in the men you have a saber-toothed Felidas, a Cannidus and a Centuarian-¡± ¡°Saber-toothed? From my point of view, that Felidas is from the normal tribe¡± ¡°Ah, my apologies. Hey, turn you head towards him. You see, he is from the saber-toothed tribe, however due to an incident before becoming a slave, he lost one of his sabers, however, as you can see, he is a bonafide member of the saber-toothed tribe.¡± The Felidas was completely missing his left fang, however the one on his right side showed a long 10-inch saber that was only hidden because of his muscle mass and angle. Simply put, he¡¯s a Smilodon Felidas, besides the saber-teeth, he also had a pair of ears on the top of his head, long and muscular feline-like arms and legs, and a short tail. I want him, but I can¡¯t show my interest for now, unless I plan to have the price rising. ¡°That seems to be the case¡­then, continue¡± ¡°Understood. All of the men have some sort of knowledge on using a weapon, along with the prized strength of their race, saying that they are great attributes of defense against a bandit would be an understatement. As for the women, we have a Felidas, a Taurian, a Lepunias and a Cannidus. If I may say, the Taurian females are extra popular among male customers, as *cough* you can see why.¡± Certainly, the Taurian, in case that it wasn¡¯t obvious, is of the race that shares features with cows and bulls, and their main point of interest is the size of the female¡¯s breasts, the one in front of me is J-Cup, in case anyone is interested. However, I don¡¯t want to suck on breasts at the moment, so she isn¡¯t my main interest¡­and Marla, please trying to not so subtly comparing yourself to her. ¡°What are the attributes that the women have?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­besides the sexual appeal, I¡¯d that most can do housework along with cooking¡­ah, and the unwilling Lepunias over there is no good with that stuff but in exchange, she¡¯s good with tracking and fleeing. You know, the usual stuff connected to the Lepunias tribe.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I have a bit of money to spend, but I¡¯d like to have some leftover in case I¡¯d want anything else in the market¡­well, for now I¡¯ll try to get the saber-toothed Felidas and the Lepunias girl, I don¡¯t need a pleasure giver for now, and having a strong tank in combination with an agile radar seem to be a good tradeoff for the lack of numbers. ¡°May I ask how much do they go for?¡± ¡°The Centaurian is 20 Gold Germas, as the other two I¡¯d say around 13 Gold Germas. For the women¡­the Taurian is around 30 Gold Germas, the Felidas and Cannidus are around 15 Gold Germas, and the Lepunias is 10 Gold Germas.¡± Expensive for the Taurian, just how many big-breasted loving perverts are in this world that the price for someone like her is so painfully different!? ¡°¡­Might I ask, why is the Lepunias so cheap in comparison to the others?¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t mature yet, so her body is still underdeveloped, she¡¯s from the Northern Lepunias tribe, but recently the market for them has decreased and so has the price for them.¡± ¡°Nothing to do with her behavior?¡± ¡°Haha¡­a bit of that too¡± If you¡¯re planning to treat me like an adult when you show me breasts and sell me borderline sex dolls, don¡¯t act coy now and treat me like a kid. ¡°Could you please send all back but the male Felidas and the Lepunias? I¡¯m only interested in those two.¡± ¡°Understood. You all heard him, all of you move back outside and wait quietly until I take you back to your cages.¡± The five slaves I had no interest in quietly walked out and waited for instructions on the other side of the curtain, but it made me wonder. ¡°Won¡¯t they try to run away of you don¡¯t look after them?¡± ¡°Do you really think someone like me can handle off merchandise as strong as them just by my word? Kid, I¡¯ve seen many with eyes like yours before, although yours are a bit different, point is you know pretty well that nobody is that trusting.¡± ¡°Good point, so how do you do it?¡± ¡°The answer is in the collars they all wear, depending on the mass and gender of the merchandise, the collar is rigged with a special kind of electrical magic, so if they walk out of a certain range, in this case the tent, they¡¯d get electrocuted until incapacitated¡± So, an extremely potent shock collar is the controlling factor¡­a bit barbaric¡­this is why I hate slave traders¡­but, I can¡¯t deny how effective it is either. Part 3 After making some small talk and haggling the merchant to take down the prices of the Felidas and the Lepunias from 13 and 10 Gold Germas to 10 and 8 respectively, under the pretense that I¡¯m getting damaged goods in the forms of only one saber in a saber-toothed Felidas and a slave that doesn¡¯t listen to all the orders unless they directly cause her to be electrocuted. While walking towards the desk on the back of the tent where the transaction of ownership papers are at, something caught my eye. ¡°Hey, mind telling me what is that over there?¡± ¡°Mmm? Ah, that¡¯s a weird shipment we got a few months back, it¡¯s a very attracting product but not one that anyone is willing to buy.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a look yourself¡± As I headed towards the place of my attention, I saw a crowd of people keeping a 4-foot distance from a steel cage, I could make out what was inside but the clear reason why nobody got close was because of the sign. [Warning Venomous Snake!! Approach at your own risk!] Yep, the thing inside of the enclosure was a snake, however two very important things were wrong with that sign. The first was that the colors of that snake were not the ones found in venomous snake that I know of. In my previous life, there is a snake species found in North America known as the Garter Snake, it is a completely harmless and kind of beautiful black snake that has a golden line down it¡¯s spine and a yellowish underbelly. Point is, if this color pattern means the same here as with that snake, then this creature is not venomous. The second error of the sign was the description of the inhabitant of the cage, while yes, it was a snake, it wasn¡¯t quite a snake. ¡°Ple-please stop glaring me like that¡­¡± But rather, a Squanan, a Lamia to be exact. Right, the creature squirming in the cage is a Lamia, but the description of the sign and how the way the merchant described her don¡¯t seem to fit the individual. I wonder if it¡¯s the fear of the venom or if it¡¯s because this isn¡¯t a high-quiality slave trader that he didn¡¯t get his information straight? Well, maybe I¡¯m just wrong in my views and the man has his facts straight. If it is that I¡¯m wrong, then it¡¯s understandable why something like a Lamia hasn¡¯t been sold off after so many months. But, if I¡¯m right, then that means that I found myself an attractive buy and possibly, at a cheap price. Why would I buy a Lamia and not another one of the slaves from before¡­? Well¡­you could say that¡­I¡¯m attracted to her, not the snake part, but the human half I mean. This sounds hypocritical of me, since I just told the man before that I was looking for a woman, but I can¡¯t help but be infatuated by her. Her hair is long and black just like her snake body with two long strands of golden hair running through it, her skin is of a tanned shade and her two eyes glimmer like a pair of jewels, to say nothing how she¡¯s dressed, due to it being mostly rags, it¡¯s clear breast area is on the bigger side, she is clearly a beauty that would make many others to shame¡­erm, I¡¯ll confirm something, personal tastes aside, I need to make sure that my intuition is correct, even if it¡¯s by word of mouth. ¡°Excuse me¡± As I pushed my way through the onlookers, I came within the invisible circle created around the cage and approached the Lamia. ¡°Oi kid, if you know what¡¯s good, then don¡¯t get too close you hear?¡± ¡°Hey kid, stop it, why don¡¯t you?¡± Others however tried in dull attempts to stop me, maybe they wanted to stop me, a kid, to get too close to the infamous snake, but another side of them wondered what happened if someone approached her. While ignoring their warnings, I approached the cage and I cross sat in front of the steel bars and talked with the Lamia in a low voice that no one on the other side of the 4-foot invisible circle could hear. ¡°Hey, my name is Lucien Mercelious, mind telling me yours?¡± With a soft voice, I began talking to her, she seemed dubious of me but began talking. I wonder how long will it be before Marla comes with the merchant to see what I¡¯m doing. ¡°¡­My name is Cleo¡­¡± ¡°Oh? So you can speak my language without problems, then can you read what it says in that sign on the side of your cage?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, I can only hear and speak the language but reading and writing it is beyond me¡± ¡°I see, well, it says: [Warning Venomous Snake!! Approach at your own risk!] However, I have a different theory, but I want to hear your opinion first. So, are you venomous?¡± ¡°¡­Can¡¯t say I am, I heard them talking about it, but I didn¡¯t correct them¡± ¡°Why is that? Or rather, why would you tell me the truth?¡± ¡°I figured that if I fixed their error, I¡¯d get sold off to the first pervert that came along. So I played the part of meek girl and waited for someone with at least enough balls to approach me, and that¡¯s you. So, kid, would you be my master?¡± The meek looking tanned beauty, was actually a predator waiting for better prey¡­well, not like I can complain for that. ¡°It depends on two things. One is based on what the man selling you says and the other is based on what you say.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know for him, but what would it be for me?¡± ¡°Do you truly believe that I¡¯m a kid?¡± ¡°¡­fufu, can¡¯t say I do, while sure, your body is that of a meek child, I can tell your eyes are of those of someone older and wiser. Is that all?¡± ¡°Almost, if you know I¡¯m just a child in body, do you still want me as your master?¡± ¡°Of course, having someone like you as my master, I can¡¯t predict how it will turn out, but it¡¯s definitely better than staying here until someone else decides to get close to me¡± Almost as if on cue, Marla and the merchant called me out on the border of the crowd. ¡°Master Lucien! Please come here, it¡¯s dangerous being there!¡± ¡°So, kid, you done sightseeing and ready to finish your purchase?¡± Was this guy planning on me to get her too? ¡°Sure, ah, if you don¡¯t mind, as long as it¡¯s at a reasonable price, I¡¯ll take the venomous snake off your hands too¡± I said that as I got off the floor and patted the dust off. The man just smiled and answered. ¡°Sure kid, how does 25 Gold Germas for all three of them sound?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that cheaper than you should?¡± ¡°Consider it a discount for buying three faulty products from me at the same time¡± With those words, I accepted the deal with the merchant, the crowd around us, the other two slaves and Marla, looked between me, the merchant and the Lamia Cleo. In their eyes, I was the stupid kid that bought off from a ripoff slave trader, three slaves with problems and one of them being the infamous merchandise that nobody dared to even touch. And while that might be true and he really is ripping me off, but, I¡¯m satisfied with getting what I planned to get here and more. End of Chapter 8 Chapter 9: The Value of a Deal Chapter 9: The Value of a Deal Part 1 ¡°¡­?Let the voice of love, take you higher. Atsumaru chikara de toki sae koete?¡± ¡°Master Lucien?¡± ¡°Yes? What would it be Marla?¡± ¡°Wha-what are you doing? You look like you¡¯re in a good mood, but I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying¡­¡± ¡°Ah, sorry about that, but yeah, I¡¯m in a good mood and I just remembered the part of a song I heard a long time ago¡± ¡°I-I see, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re in a good mood, but you haven¡¯t spoken a word since you bought the slaves, you¡¯ve just been muttering weird sounds like those¡­Point is, we are already home, so could you please talk with them. The Felidas and Lepunias are patiently waiting, but the Squanan keeps sending glances all around, and to be honest is a bit unnerving.¡± ¡°Do you have a problem with Cleo?¡± ¡°You already know her name, but haven¡¯t asked the ones of the others slaves?¡± ¡°I asked her personally, but the other two I just read the papers I got. The Felidas¡¯ name is Lund, as for the Lepunias, her name Nashia. Any other questions?¡± ¡°Cleo, Lund and Nashia¡­I¡¯ll have to remember them. Ah, and yes, you need to talk with them, even if they are slaves, they still need to have a former talk with their master when they begin. So, could you please go see them?¡± ¡°Is that how it works? Understood, where are they at right now?¡± ¡°I asked them to wait in the servant quarters, but I doubt that you can have a formal conversation there¡± ¡°Is there anybody in the library?¡± ¡°Not at this time Master Lucien¡± ¡°Then send them there, I¡¯ll be waiting for them in the desk area¡± Understood, Master Lucien¡± Part 2 For some reason, my good mood spread out and lasted too long after I bought them. Well, not like it matters, at least I confirmed none of them are from my old world or have a link to them. Normally, one would react if they saw something distinct from their native home in an unknown place, but their reactions were mostly of confusion rather than surprise, Marla included. *knock* *knock* ¡°Master Lucien, I¡¯ve brought them¡± ¡°Come in Marla¡± Unlike my happy-go-lucky mood from before, I was sitting behind the desk and had spread over the desk different documents, including maps, expenses sheets, and even a magic book about which materials work well with which magic, that last one gave me a hint on how to work around Marla¡¯s power. ¡°Hey, dear master. Did you finally get out of your head-in-the-clouds mood and decided to greet us?¡± ¡°Hey!! Learn your place, who do you think you are talking to Master Lucien like that!?¡± The one to spark the fire was Cleo, it seems that she reached a certain level of comfort with me, since I was the one who called out to her. On the other hand, Marla is acting more overprotective than my mother, which is making Nashia shiver a bit in place and Lund turn his look away. I don¡¯t particularly mind Cleo¡¯s behavior, but I can see where Marla is coming from. ¡°*cough*, Marla, Cleo, please be quiet. I wanted to have a talk as to why I bought the three of you, so the less distractions, the better.¡± ¡°My apologies Master Lucien¡± ¡°Sorry about that dear master¡± Marla flinched a bit to Cleo¡¯s intonation, but she felt my glare hinting her to not do any more screaming, so she just raised and went to stand behind me. The other two, finally turned their eyes to me and seemed to relax a bit, after seeing me taking the conversation back on track.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°First off, my name is Lucien Mercelious, and as of today, I¡¯ll be your master. I mostly got the three of you for a single goal, so I would like to focus on it.¡± Silence. Not sure if it¡¯s because my vocabulary or behavior don¡¯t match my body, but they just stood in silence. I wonder if I should give them a push¡­ ¡°Why don¡¯t we start with introductions for each of you. Name, place of origin, and skills, I¡¯ll need those.¡± ¡°Dear master, don¡¯t you already have those in those papers you got from the merchant?¡± ¡°I do, but I decided to not read anything besides your names and hear straight from the chibar¡¯s mouth¡± ¡°Hehe, weird phrase there, but I¡¯ll bite. My name is Cleo Thanophas, I hail from the Northern Compass Island, and my skills include earth military and thermos otherworldly magic, along with etiquette and ability to read and write, though only on my native tongue.¡± ¡°Thanophas? Does that mean you¡¯re of royalty or high class in the nation you hail from?¡± ¡°Something like that¡± In this world, middle and low class only have first names, something important like a family name is only given to those of higher society, add to that two magics and knowledge of etiquette and education...I wonder where she is from¡­ ¡°My turn then¡­the name is Nashia, I come from the continent of G¨¹erad in the Eastern region, I am from a nomadic tribe so I don¡¯t have an exact country to call home, and my skills include scouting and food identification in the field, no combat skills outside of dagger throwing and no magic skills either.¡± ¡°From how that merchant described you, I expected you to be a bad buy, but that¡¯s actually very useful skills for what I have in mind¡± The Lepunia Nashia, she¡¯s no good indoors, but for the field she seems like the best asset I¡¯ve gotten on my hands so far. ¡°Then, I suppose I¡¯m last. My name is Lund, like the little one, I come from G¨¹erad, I am nomadic too, but for different reasons¡­and as for my skills, I can do basic fire military magic and I am very confident on my skills with blunt weapons like a mace or a club.¡± Those are pretty much the same thing¡­ ¡°That¡¯s good, then I can have someone like you as the center of the physical strength¡­before continuing, the one behind me is Marla, is my personal maid and has a set of skills under her belt, including an affinity to electric magic and a large mana capacity, hopefully you all work together for what I have in mind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to work with all of you¡± Nashia and Lund just nodded in agreement with her statement and Cleo made a small comment that made Marla flinch and that I decided to omit since I had something that required more attention from me. ¡°Now that we know everyone here, I¡¯d like to make a clear proposition about your terms of slavery, depending on how you react to them, things will go on a set path¡± ¡°And those would be?¡± ¡°Thank you for asking Lund. I personally dislike slavery and most things linked with it, however I had to use it as a means to an end due to my lack of funds. So, I need the three of you to assist me in a quest I have set in the near future and work for me along the way until then. The best I can provide for you in that time will be a sleeping quarter, food on the table and other bare necessities, but I think that the final payment is worth the minimal treatment.¡± As I said that, I sent glances to all three of them to see their reactions. Lund was a quiet listener, Cleo showed a look that she figured out what I meant, and Nashia just looked confused. ¡°Simply put, work for me faithfully and with effort for the next 3, no, it would be best to say 2 and a half years, and the final payment will be your complete freedom.¡± ¡°!!¡± Nashia gave an exaggerated gasp, Cleo showed a wry smile, and Lund opened his eyes, glared at me, and then said the following as he nodded. ¡°That sounds like a tempting offer, but if you just want temporary labor, then why didn¡¯t you hire a mercenary group or something similar?¡± ¡°As I stated before, I have low funds, this was the most effective route in that aspect, as for the other reason, money is less trustworthy than a shock collar to keep others in check¡± ¡°¡­Understood, dare I ask what is the other option if we don¡¯t accept your offer?¡± Stop testing me so blatant like that, you¡¯re making me show a darkish smile, fufu. ¡°Then I¡¯d take you back to the merchant and ask for a refund, if that¡¯s not possible, then I¡¯d just sell you off myself but use a bit of information trading to make back more than I originally spent.¡± ¡°Dear master, if you smile like that it would only cause distrust in those around you. Well, not like that will make me say no to the first offer, it¡¯s boring in slave market, and a bit dangerous too. Wouldn¡¯t you agree Lund?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. Very well, Master Mercelious, I, Lund, accept to serve under you in exchange for my freedom in three years¡¯ time.¡± ¡°I am thankful for you accepting my offer, same to you Cleo¡± My smile wiped off my face and everyone¡¯s eyes turned towards Nashia and waiting to see how she¡¯d answer, although it was kind of expected what she¡¯d say due to the events in the market. ¡°I accept as well¡­please let me have a chance of gaining my freedom¡­Master Lucien¡± ¡°Pleasure to work with you too Nashia. Now then, with this out of the way, I¡¯ll have Marla guide you to your living quarters and please rest for the day. Starting tomorrow I¡¯ll have all of you prepare for the next part of my plan for the upcoming trip.¡± ¡°Ah, dear master, what exactly are we required to do to gain our freedoms again? You said we needed to work for you, but it would be nice to know what we will be doing.¡± ¡°Simply put, for the following months I¡¯ll be finding ways raise my funds and protect myself, along with that I would like Marla and the three of you to be able to do mercenary-like protection work as I will finding a faster route between Germas and the Academy. I¡¯ll explain the details tomorrow, but just think that for the next two and a half years, you guys will be prepared to do a variety of odd jobs along with how to protect a travel wagon. If the wagon get to the Academy and returns in one piece, your freedom will be guaranteed.¡± End of Chapter 9