“We need a bigger bed,” I said.

Elincia nestled to my side. Her platinum hair cascaded over her pretty face, and her emerald eyes gleamed in the dim light of the cramped room like those of a cat. Like every morning, my heart skipped a beat, but I did my best to hide my astonishment. I knew Elincia would cling to it and tease me for the rest of the day.

A thin sunbeam crept between the curtains. Hundreds of pages of runic research covered the desk. Alchemic ingredients floated inside glass flasks, piling in the room's corners. Dirty clothes piled in a corner. Elincia was a cleaning maniac, and the mess was a living sign of how tight our schedules were.

“We need a bigger bed,” I repeated.

Elincia chuckled. “I’m too clingy?”

I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her closer. “I mean it. I can barely move with you taking up all of the space.”

She nudged me with her elbow beneath the blankets. “Oh, admit it, you love to have me so close.”

I kissed her forehead. “I love the touch of your cold feet and how your hair gets in my mouth, don’t get me wrong, but I need space for my arm.”

Despite the healing skills and Elincia’s curative salves, the burns on my arm stabbed like a thousand glass shards. The Healers from the Guard said it would heal, but it would take a while. That’s what I got for overusing Energy Potions. A stack of Mana Toxicity was too dangerous, and the benefits of chugging Energy Potions were too few compared to a High-Grade Healing Potion at the right moment.

“We’ll have Ginz look into crafting a bigger bed,” Elincia giggled as she kissed my cheek. “I’m still going to cling.”

“I can live with that,” I replied, stretching my back.

I wouldn’t change my life for anything else. Despite the previous night's fight, I felt energized. I suspected the System blessed me with a hidden Status every time I woke up to Elincia by my side, but nothing in my Character Sheet suggested that.

“So, you are level forty now,” I said. I eventually had to get up, but for now, I wanted to remain in bed, hugging Elincia and pretending this was a lazy Saturday back on Earth.

“It’s not that big of a deal. Alchemist’s stat growths aren’t very impressive, but at least my mana reserves improved,” Elincia said, playing with my hair. “The problem is my titles. I have done very little research with all the work around the orphanage. By level forty, I should have at least one Unique Recipe under my name.”

“With all the extra hands, I think you’ll have enough time now,” I said.

“I’m afraid it will be the opposite,” Elincia whispered, searching for my lips.

Before we could kiss, someone frantically knocked on the door.

“Miss Elincia! There are weird people in the orphanage!” Shu yelled from the corridor.

The door slammed open, and Shu appeared in the doorway, wearing a cooking pot as a helmet. We had told the kids the night’s commotion was caused by a small group of grave robbers. They believed the story and continued sleeping as if nothing had happened. It was good to know that, at least, they felt safe in the orphanage.

Shu ran inside as fast as her talons allowed her. When she had crossed half the room, she used her wings to rise into the air and dove into the bed, softly landing between us. There, she clung to Elincia with her arms and legs.

Elincia stroked her hair.

“There is a big green one and a scary wolf one. She has fangs and claws, and I think she might want to eat someone,” Shu said with an alarmed expression.

Elincia laughed.

“Those are Risha and Astrid,” she explained, cradling Shu against her chest. Shu extended her wings, making herself comfortable. They were warm. “Risha and Astrid are my friends, like you with Nokti, Virdian, and Ash. They used to live in the orphanage way before you arrived.”

“They don’t have parents?” Shu asked, appalled.

Elincia nodded.

“Well then, I guess they can stay at the orphanage. I better go tell them they are welcome before they decide to leave,” Shu said, climbing down the bed and walking to the door.

“That’s a great idea,” Elincia said.

Shu closed the door behind her a moment later, and Elicia and I were alone again.

“You don’t seem very thrilled about Risha and Astrid staying here,” I said.

“Give me a break,” Elincia replied, hiding her face in the curve of my neck.

We lay there in comfortable silence, the only sound being the distant chatter of the kids in the kitchen. Danger upon the orphanage, but for a moment, the little joy of lazing together was all that mattered. If anything, we deserved it.

The scenes of last night passed quickly before my eyes, yet I didn’t feel a sliver of remorse—I wasn’t even angry. When the thieves cornered me in the alley a few months ago, and Sir Janus killed them, I felt regret and anger. Regret because two people had died. Anger because they had forced me to resort to violence. Now, I felt none. On a rational level, I wished things were different, but on an emotional level, I felt completely detached from the situation. A part of me even felt proud because I was able to protect the orphanage.

I used a lock of Elincia’s hair to tickle her nose. She grunted and shook her head.

“How are you feeling,” I asked.

“I’m not ready to fully forgive Risha and Astrid, but I guess they can stay. It’s what Mister Lowell would’ve wanted. I just need time,” Elincia replied.

“I meant about last night,” I pointed out.

“Oh, that,” Elincia shrugged. “Zealots are known to be strong and unpredictable foes, and Defenders are a strong advanced class. Your combat power is comparable to a level 40, and the shotgun allows me to one-shot any mid-level regardless of their class, as long as I have the element of surprise. I’d say no criminal group in Farcrest can safely attack us now.”

Elincia had a completely different set of worries, but she was right. Most of the city's inhabitants were between level one and twenty-five. Veteran Guardsmen and Sentinels reached around level thirty-five, but that was the peak for most people. To keep progressing, one had to face the dangers of the Farlands. Those who surpassed level forty were the ones who fought against Monster Surges and survived to tell the story.

With our current combat power, only a few foes could touch us.

“How about you? How are you feeling?” Elincia interrupted my train of thought.

“I’m feeling annoying,” I replied, nibbling on Elincia’s ear in the most bothersome way.

I still cared about Elincia and the kids’ well-being. I cared about Risha, Astrid, Ginz, Nasiah, and Captain Kiln, and I even cared for the regular citizens of Farcrest, although in a more diffused and distant way. I wasn’t turning into a cold-blooded murderer any time soon, not even in exchange for all the levels.

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“Don’t you have to prepare your team for the tournament?” Elincia said.

Alarms went off in my brain. We had four days until the tournament. It wasn’t long enough to take the girls to the Farlands to level up, and it was barely enough time to teach them anything else. I went over my mental list, trying to come up with a new plan and cursing my bad luck and whoever wanted to sabotage the orphanage.

I kicked the blankets and jumped to my feet. Elincia hissed, trying to remain covered. Winter was coming to an end, but the days were still cold and windy. I wondered if there would be any snow before spring. I put on my training clothes and winter boots using my mana as a third hand. A moment later, I was ready to roll.

“Don’t overdo it!” Elincia said as I left the room.

“I won’t if you promise to get along with your friends!”

Elincia pouted. “They aren’t my friends!”

I blew her a kiss and jogged down the hallway, out of the sleeping quarters, into the corridor, and into the kitchen. I rubbed my hands together to drive away the morning's cold. Inside, Ginz and Risha were sitting near the stove while the little kids fluttered around. Shu and the snake twins were excited about Risha’s presence, and even the youngest ones seemed to accept him. It wasn’t a surprise. Risha was the kind of person who fell on his feet wherever he went.

As soon as I entered the room, Risha and Ginz raised their heads and greeted me.

“You should have woke me up,” I said.

“I prepare breakfast for a whole platoon. I’m used to this. How is your arm doing?” Risha replied with a worried expression, moving to the side to open up space on the bench.”

“Healing skills helped,” I replied, grabbing a bowl of gruel, and adding raisins, nuts, and honey. “What about you? How is it to be back home?”

Risha sighed. “Ash doesn’t like me; he has made it clear, but I don’t understand why. The other kids are okay with me. Nokti and Virdian already invited me to work on the farm.”

I cast an accusatory glance toward the snake twins. They totally wanted Risha’s muscle to boost their potato production. The kids seemed to notice because they scurried out of the kitchen, giggling.

“It’s okay. Ash isn’t very fond of me either,” I said, burying my spoon in the gruel.

“Teeth are for chewing. I thought a Scholar would know.” Risha said, prompting a laugh from the youngest orphans.

“I’m in a hurry. Places to be. People to talk to,” I replied, shoveling another spoonful of gruel into my mouth. It wasn’t bad, but Elincia’s gruel was better. “By the way, do you have any useful skills other than your class?”

Risha blinked repeatedly. My question was a bit out of place in a world where Class was everything. However, he quickly recovered.

“I guess I know my camping stuff. I have lived in the Farlands for the last seven or eight years. I know how to camp safely almost everywhere in any season: summer, winter, forest, mountain, dry, humid,” Risha replied. “Why?”

“Good. First thing in the morning, you’ll teach camping to Elincia’s class. Then, in the afternoons, you’ll help my class spar,” I said, scraping my bowl for one last spoonful of gruel and putting it on the pile of dirty dishes. “Welcome back to the orphanage.”

I swallowed and walked to the door.

“Wait!” Risha stopped me, putting his hand on my shoulder. “I can help the older kids spar, but I’m not a teacher. I don’t know anything about your scholarly things.”

I couldn’t help but notice that Elincia was at least twice as rough as Risha.

Ginz snorted. “You’ll do fine, Risha. I’ll teach you everything there is to know about teaching kids.”

Risha raised an eyebrow. It seemed that the present Ginz clashed with Risha’s mental image of the past Ginz. I couldn’t help but smile. Ginz had changed a lot since arriving at the orphanage; it wasn’t merely his level, fame, or his skills as a Craftsman. He used to be a meek and fearful man, but now he was a dependable friend.

I just had to make sure he didn’t experiment with explosives inside the orphanage.

“Teaching the specifics can be boring, but if you tell them everything is part of a bigger project, they will actually listen to you,” Ginz explained. “Tell them you’ll be camping with them in the groove when spring starts. They will love it.”

Risha opened his mouth to reply but couldn’t find the words. Ginz’s idea was actually very smart. He continued explaining the minutiae of Elincia’s class to Risha, so I seized the opportunity to leave the kitchen and exit the manor.

My class was already in the backyard.

Zaon and Wolf sat in the big stump while Firana and Ilya sparred against Astrid simultaneously. Ilya cast [Entangling Vines], and a root emerged from the ground, shooting at Astrid’s ankle. However, Astrid dodged without breaking a sweat. Her combination of innate agility and boosting skills put her in a completely different speed tier. Firana didn’t give up and used Ilya’s vine in conjunction with her [Windrider] skill to boost herself forward, rapier first. Astrid kicked the blade aside and jumped out of Ilya’s range.

“Good morning,” I greeted, interrupting the fight.

The girls disengaged and rushed to greet me. The older kids already knew the truth about last night’s events. Zaon had run to get Ilya, which alerted Firana that something was happening in the kitchen. She awakened Wolf so she wouldn’t be the only one scolded for being up late. Ultimately, the four ended up in the kitchen.

“How’s your arm doing, Rob?” Firana asked.

“It’s Mister Clarke,” I replied.

“Come on, I’m an adult now. I should be allowed to call you by your name,” Firana complained.

“You are still my student, Miss Aias,” I shot her down, to Ilya’s delight. “My arm is doing well, by the way. Just a bit sore.”

During the night, I discovered an extra functionality for [Awareness]. The skill doesn't only enhance my senses but could also redirect them to a certain extent. It was a blessing considering that the pain grew as the hours passed and the healing magic dissipated, and it was better than Astrid barging into the room every half hour to refresh the healing spell.

Astrid came forward with a worried expression.

“Should I check it?” She said, and before I could answer, she grabbed my arm and washed it with the green light of her healing skill. After a couple of seconds, when the wound became saturated with magic, she let me go.

I thanked her and looked at my students.

“The tournament starts in four days,” I said, examining their reactions. Every teacher knew that faces usually told more than words.

Ilya remained calm, Firana buzzed with excitement, and Wolf seemed happy, although it was hard to tell, considering his natural stoicism. Zaon, however, seemed a bit more concerned than usual.

“Are we discussing strategy?” Firana asked.

“No. I just wanted to let you know I’m very proud of you all,” I said, my words seeming to catch them by surprise. “Regardless of the tournament outcome, I’m very happy with your progress. From the beginning, I knew you had a lot to show, and you have far surpassed my expectations. As a teacher, it’s been a privilege and a pleasure to work with you.”

The four of them remained silent until Firana opened her mouth.

“That means we are your favorite students ever?” She asked.

“No. You are too sassy,” I replied.

“Oh, come on! You are lying!” Firana said.

“He’s lying,” Ilya said.

“Mister Clarke wouldn’t have favorites,” Zaon pointed out.

“Are you messing with me, Twig?” Firana said, putting her arm around Zaon’t neck.

“Enough!” I said, holding back my laughter. I clapped my hands to catch the kid’s attention. “We have little time to refine the last details. Today, we will split the class. The girls will spar with Astrid, and the boys will come with me. Understood?”

Astrid and the kids nodded.

“We don’t need classless scrubs here. Go away!” Firana said, showing Zaon and Wolf her tongue.

“Don’t cry later when your fart powers fail,” Wolf calmly replied.

A vein popped on Firana’s forehead. I sighed. Wolf knew perfectly well how to annoy her, but Firana wasn’t cool-headed enough to notice. I might have to retract my statement about the kid’s progress.

Before a fight could start, I brought the boys to the groove.

“Mister Clarke?” Zaon asked when we were outside eavesdropping range.

“Yes?” I replied, putting my sword on an old fallen tree and adjusting my padded jacket. There was no sign a battle had been fought the night before other than the burned foliage of a handful of trees.

“I’m going to be Classless during the first part of the tournament… and I’m not as strong as Wolf or skillful as Firana,” Zaon started. “I don’t want to make the team lose.”

I nodded.

“I’m aware you will be Classless for another week. But you have a tool none of your teammates have,” I calmly replied. “You are an Elf, Zaon. Look at your Character Sheet.”

Zaon focused his eyes on an invisible point before him.

“Night Vision? Are we fighting at night?” Zaon asked.

“Miss Elincia told me you inherited all three elven traits. Night Vision, Light-Footed, and Keen Senses, Zaon,” I replied with a mischievous smile. “I brought you two here to teach you a secret technique that will allow you to win every match.”