”The status read at the academy occurs in the evenings, daily. There, children aged ten or above who have yet to awaken their status come in.” My father said. He had begun discussing details related to my skill awakening.
“Father, I have yet to turn of age yet, though,” I replied. But, of course, knowing my father, there was no way he said anything not knowing this detail. So he probably had a workaround.
“No problem, Tene. What's the point of being of noble descent if you can't push your weight around every once in a while? Noble children are assessed in a different hall anyways. Urila here will have a quick word with the deen before your awakening. You turn ten in a couple of weeks, so it shouldn't be too difficult a task,” My father said.
“...” Urila replied with silence. I couldn't help but think he was far more passive when my father was involved.
“Ok, now that we more or less have a plan laid out, I think it's fair to assume you would be tired after your long journey. It's still early morning. You guys have earned a long rest. We leave for the academy at nightfall,” My father said.
Finally, I was just beginning to get drowsy just listening to my father speak, the initial rush of seeing him again after so long beginning to fade. Surely it would be better to speak more on the matter after we were all rested.
“I've booked three separate rooms of the same quality outside this room. Here are the keys.”My father added.
Passing each one of us a softly glowing orb. By simply holding the orb close to the door, it would open similarly to the ones at our mansion. This was clearly a far more expensive establishment than the last inn we stayed at, that's for sure.
“Wouldnt staying at such an expensive inn draw in more eyes?” I asked curiously.
“This is a standard Inn here, Tene. Though I guess it's the first time you've been to such a large city. We're going to have to find some time for you to explore around soon enough.” My father replied.
Fair enough. Yawning softly, I quickly left the room, finding the adjacent room quickly. Bringing out the orb, I watched as it glowed softly as the door opened, allowing me entrance.
The room was an identical copy to my father's. Holding clean and comfortable bedding, the wooden walls and floorboards were lit softly by the small magic lamp in the corner of the room.
After quickly using the small bathing room, held privately by each room, I jumped into my mattress, allowing the comfortable embrace of sleep to promptly take me.
…
…
“Mistress, it's time” Waking me from my groggy slumber, the familiar voice of my adopted sister, Lita, roused me from my sleep. Drowily opening my eyes, the first thing that appeared in my vision was her Irediscent silver short hair as her eyes looked down at me coldly.
Not good. I thought to myself. It was exceedingly rare for me to get woken up by Lita. I must have been exceedingly tired last night. Lita would only wake me up when she noticed I wasn't ready in time.
“The time?” I asked, a little panicked.
“It's the 28th hour,” Lita replied.
So she woke me up exactly on time. Two more hours until daylight begins to recede. I would assume she had guessed I wouldn't be able to wake up on my own today.
“I'll be ready in a quarter-hour. Thanks for waking me up Lita.” I said groggily, sleepiness still apparent in my tone.
“Hmm,” She replied, exiting the room.
Standing up from bed after lightly stretching, I couldn't help but notice how comfortable and alert my body had become. As if I had slept on one of the beds in the mansion, the complete opposite of the tiredness and muscle soreness I had felt from the inn at the village.
Quickly taking a shower and drying off, I put on some of the spare clothing I had brought in my bag. A simple purple undergarment, a black toga, and a white fur coat for the snow. Taking one last glance in the mirror to ensure I was presentable, I exited the room.
“Good Evening.” As soon as I left the room, a voice echoed pleasantly in my ear, greeting me.
“... Good evening,” I replied back. A dashingly handsome man with strawberry blonde hair stood casually in the corridor, looking for something in his backpack. Seeing me leave my room, he was probably just being cordial.
“I don't think I've seen you around. First time staying at the Inn? Your parents?” He asked, still looking through his bag—quite a nosy individual.
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“Yes, My father is staying in the opposite room,” I replied. The man's eyes seemed to brighten up when I spoke.
“Oh, your father is Samel!? He had told me his daughter would be here shortly–How did I not notice? You're nearly his identical clone.” He said, warmth entering his tone.
“You know my father?” I asked curiously.
“Of course, everyone in the Inn knows him well. He's famous, helped out in a multitude of manners, and has been staying here for quite a while now.” The man replied.
Suddenly his eyes lit up. It looked like he'd found what he had been searching for.
“Where are my manners? I own this Inn and many others like it in the city. Alfonso.” He said, reaching his hand out for a handshake.
Walking up to him, I grasped his hand and shook it.
“Fatheeeeeerrrrrrrrrr!!!! Where are the earrings you promised me? The ceremony is in two hours!!” A haughty voice echoed loudly from one of the rooms as it began to open slowly.
“Iris, my sparkling jewel. I have found you a far better pair. Made by an artisan of the same caliber as Johan.” said Alfonso. His voice dripped with sincerity and love. Honestly, with the way he was being treated, I found it a little creepy.
“NO, NO, NO!! I want the Johan pearl necklace. All the other noble children will think I'm a peasant if I don't have one!” The girl named Iris shouted, throwing a tantrum as she entered the hallway.
A beautiful young girl around my age appeared. With the same strawberry-pink hair and diamond-blue eyes as her father, she wore a colorful but strange toga with frills at the edges. It resembled the dress Lita wore at my ballroom ceremony. Expensive-looking rings and necklaces adorned her body as they rattled against each other with each step she took.
“Of course, of course, my treasured pearl. I'll get you whatever you want, as many Johan necklaces as you desire. Maybe you should just manage with this cloudy pearl necklace for tonight.” Alfonso said, emphasizing his voice on the cloudy pearl.
“Cloudy Pearl!! The one all the noble girls have been dying to get their hands on! That princess Tarish wore at the legante ball!” Running up to her father, Iris gave him a big hug as she began shaking in excitement.
“Anything for my beautiful daughter,” Alfonso said warmly, softly returning his daughter's hug.
“Huh, who are you?” Iris said rather rudely. Noticing my presence for the first time.
“This is Tene, Samel's daughter,” Alfonso said.
“Samels, daughter!!” Iris said, surprise in her voice.
“Father! You said Samel was unmarried!” Iris shouted. With each sentence, tears began to well up in her eyes. What a spoiled brat.
“I-Iris, surely you must know he's far too old for you. I'll find a suitable husband far, far in the future that doesn't lack to Samel in the s-”
“NOOOO! Samel is MY future husband, I want to pick my prince, NOT you, father!” Puffing out her cheeks as tears continued to pour down her face, She gave me one final glare before storming out of the inn, forgetting the necklace her father had just gotten her.
Alfonso looked around, dumbstruck for a couple of moments.
“I-Iris, wait! Sorry about this, Tene. Give my regards to your father.” Quickly apologizing to me, as if this was a natural occurrence to him, Alfonso soon followed after his daughter.
What did I just witness?
As if on cue, my father, Urila, and Lita all stepped out of the adjacent room.
“Phew looks like she's gone.” My father said, relief plastered on his face.
“A good kid deep down when you get to know her. Her family had it tough in the past. A sudden change in lifestyle can have a dangerous effect on just about anybody.” My father said. It looked like he had heard the entire conversation and strategically chose not to reveal himself. I just wish he could have warned me earlier.
“Shell be entering the academy with you. She's also taking the status awakening test today. Try to take care of her, Tene. Nobles tend to look down on those that climbed up and aren’t of a lineage of some sort.” My father said. Well, she certainly didn't seem like the sort that needed protecting.
Although I wasn't particularly fond of her actions towards me, I will say there was something about her direct, greedy attitude that made her ever so slightly likable to me. Honestly, I didn't really particularly care about what type of grievances she had gone through in the past, so long as she watched herself around me in the future, we would have no qualms.
“I'll consider it, Father,” I replied.
“That's my girl.” My father said warmly.
----------------------------------------
As I strolled along the winding streets of Snowpeak Cape with my father, Urila, and Lita in tow, heading towards its bustling center, I couldn't help but marvel at the unexpectedly pristine condition of the City. There seemed to be some magic at work as the snow that fell to the earth's surface swiftly dissolved, defying the cold, allowing the streets and neatly aligned cobblestone pavements to maintain their flawlessly smooth facade.
I could see citizens on more than one occasion, either softly relaxing on benches with overhead glass umbrellas and ceilings to protect them from the snow or playing games such as Gurelkiz. A game where a board of a hundred squares is split with many pieces randomly thrown on the board, and the point of the game is to take over your opponent's pieces. I played it before with Lita. It was honestly an anger-inducing game, as depending on where your pieces were thrown, you could end up with a slight edge over your opponent.
As our journey led us further into the heart of the city, the architectural grandeur of Snowpeak Cape intensified. The gothic-style structures, with their intricate details and soaring heights, seemed to reach for the heavens, dwarfing the modest buildings that lined the city's gates.
Amidst this captivating ambiance, faint strains of music and jubilant laughter reached our ears sporadically. It was apparent that the city was coming alive with merriment and revelry. Evening was descending upon Snowpeak Cape, signaling the end of the workday for many. I guessed it was a common practice for the locals to indulge in post-work social gatherings, engaging in lively conversations over drinks or joining in celebrations to unwind and savor the vibrant spirit of the city.
“Just remember this, Tene. Based on your status, you will more than likely come across multiple choices for your class selection. Rare, but a difficult judgment on your part as a class you might have ignored might have more potential than one with immediate results.” My father said, speaking up as we neared the massive academy building, spiraling into the skies.
“... There's also something neither your mother nor I have told you yet.” My father whispered under his breath, barely catching my ear.
“It's ok, father, I already know,” I replied, purposely not explaining further. I knew my father already had an idea Id known for a while now.
“...That's my daughter. I told your mother there was no way you wouldn't have experimented with it by now.” My father said. Yup, he wasn't surprised. My wings of supremacy skill. At the end of the day, although the racial traits had been hidden, it had long since evolved into something like a skill, hiding yet still keeping the wing's abilities.
“I expected it to be yet another powerful skill that stands at the same level as your other two. I couldn't even begin to guess the options that would become available to you. Just whatever you do– If you see a Hero class and you're prepared to pick it. Know that such classes come with massive restrictions, almost curse-like.” My father said gravely.
“I'm sure you won't make a mistake blinded by immediate power. Your overseer and I will be the only people allowed to watch over your class selection. The overseer is completely disallowed from leaking such information and will most likely be a monk from the church. His only purpose is to ensure an evil-oriented class isn't selected.” My father said. I couldn't help but get annoyed by my father's last comment.
“I will pick whatever class I see fit,” I replied. Good or evil was subjective. I wouldn't allow another person to decide such things for me.
“...Well, such a class is exceedingly rare and will also come with its own set of heavy restrictions. I'll be there to guide your decision, but at the end of the day–It's ultimately up to you.” My father sighed.
“Yes, Father,” I replied. My father's trust in me was like night and day compared to my mother's.
“We're here.” My father said.