The mysterious rune refused to yield. No matter the line of commands I engraved in the Rune Debugger, the skill always triggered the yellow signal. The attempt of enchantment wasn’t dangerous but not useful either. I used the Effect-Trigger-Source formula of the light stones and the warm blanket, putting the mysterious rune in each position to no avail. The rune didn’t respond to any of the trigger runes I knew, nor did it seem to draw energy from the mana source runes.
I was walking in complete darkness.
Elincia grunted and opened her eyes. Dawn broke over the mountains, and the first lights of the day reflected on the frosted ground. I poured my magic on the stones inside the brazier. They were my latest invention. Last night, when the embers on the brazier went out, I replaced the light rune in the lightstone enchantment with a fire rune, creating a rudimentary magical heater. Elincia was ecstatic with the warming stones and showered me affectionately after warming her hands for over half an hour.
“I think the command coded in the mystery rune doesn’t work by itself,” I said, already awake. “It might need other runes attached.”
“Like a special source of power?” Elincia said with a raspy voice. She threw an arm around me and cuddled to my side, fleeing from the cold wall.
“I’m not sure,” I replied.
Last night, after a couple of hours of work, we decided that staying up until morning wouldn’t do us any favors. We needed to be strategic in juggling all our responsibilities, and being sleep-deprived would only diminish our performance. I squeezed Elincia against me, savoring our few minutes in bed before the daily chores overwhelmed us.
“I think runes work similarly to a language. Some words need other words to make sense at all. Think of the word ‘give’,” I explained. “Someone gives something to someone. You need at least three other words for ‘give’ to make sense.”
Elincia complained as she tried to bury her head in the blankets. Being taught about advanced runeweaving theory two seconds after waking up couldn’t be pleasant. However, my brain couldn’t move from the problem.
“I will give you shit if you don’t let me sleep in peace,” Elincia replied, suddenly opening her eyes. “Wait, you are right. An advanced rune might need more elements, just like the Action-Direction-Movement runes in Firana’s cape!”
Last night’s crash course on Runeweaving seemed to be effective because Elincia instantly boarded onto my train of thought.
“I wonder how much it would take us to find the right combination of runes. If what you told me is correct, there are hundreds upon hundreds of runes out there,” Elincia said.
I refrained myself from starting a combinatorics lecture.
“There might be another way, but it’s a long shot,” I said. The idea had been plaguing my head for the last week. “The System Avatar might appear during Zaon’s ceremony just like it did during Firana’s.”
Elincia sighed. “We will have to explain the situation to him.”
I mindlessly played with her silver hair, thinking about Zaon’s reaction. I didn't want to tell a fifteen-year-old that Corruption was corroding the corners of the System and that the end of the world as we knew it was nigh. Firana had taken the news quite well, but she was the carefree type, unlike Zaon, who worried about virtually everything.
“When Firana learned about the System Avatar, she asked me if we were starting a cult,” I said, reminiscing about the situation. “I wonder how Zaon will react.”
Elincia giggled. “He will be okay. Zaon has changed since you arrived at the orphanage. Other than his meltdown after his fight at the tournament, he has been doing better by the day.”
With meltdown and all, Prince Adrien believed Zaon was Imperial Cadet material.
The sun had risen, and we couldn’t stay in bed any longer. I got up and washed my face. Elincia put on a thick woolen sweater, and we walked to the kitchen to kickstart the day. We celebrated the kid’s victory only yesterday, but the weight of my problems already overshadowed our achievements. Astrid was already in the kitchen, warming her tail near the stove. She didn’t look like she had rested much, and even the kettle's whistle startled her.
“Any luck with the rune?” She asked as soon as we entered the kitchen.
“It will take us some time,” I replied. “What about you? How are you feeling?”
Astrid shrugged and tossed another piece of firewood into the stove. “The System still wants me to protect you, so, for now, I can stay at the orphanage.”
I took that as good news. I couldn’t start to fathom how stressful it would be to live a life under the whims of the System, but I felt relieved Astrid could stay with us. We needed both allies and friends, and Astrid’s loyalty toward the orphanage was enough for me to trust her fully.
Astrid put a big pot on the stove and Elincia poured the milk and oatmeal while I set the table. Between our potion deal with Nasiah and Ginz’s crafts, we had gathered enough money to meet our energetic needs and flavor things up. Seeing Elincia scoop a jar of honey felt, in a strange way, like a huge achievement.
“To think we used to have oatmeal soaked in water a few months ago,” I pointed out, trying to dispel the shadows of doubt and focus on our little victories.
“And beans, the ultimate food according to Scholars,” Elincia jabbed at me as she put a pot of milk to boil. “Can you believe it, Astrid? This madman had us eating beans for a straight month.”
Astrid had merged into the background like she used to. I ignored whether it was one of her beastfolk traits or a habit acquired during her years as a silent vassal of the System, but at times, it got on my nerves. Two distinct personalities lived at the same time inside Astrid: the orphan and the Zealot.
“What’s wrong with beans?” She asked as a confused expression drew on her face.
“Come on, eating the same food for a month doesn’t seem strange to you?” Elincia said.
Astrid shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve never cared too much about food. Cooking gets in the way of my Quests, so I usually eat what I can scrap begging around.”
Helping a Zealot was to help the System, so people used to offer food and accommodations to Zealots traveling the country. Before I could say anything, Elincia grabbed Astrid’s face with one hand and pushed a spoonful of honey into her mouth. The beastfolk’s face lit before returning to her usual stern expression; then, she pushed Elincia’s hand away and retreated.
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“Tasty, uh?” Elincia said.
“Yeah,” Astrid replied, licking her lips.
“I’m going to herd the kids to the kitchen. No fighting near the boiling pot!” I announced, hiding a smile.
Elincia showed me her tongue.
A part of me saw Astrid as one of the orphans despite her age. She might have traveled the kingdom completing Quests, but she had experienced very little of what life had to offer. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how the System was the root of many of the evils of Ebros’ society, yet I was there learning reweaving to help fix it.
Those were ethical dilemmas for the future Rob. Now, I had to prevent Kellaren from taking Firana from me, check Zaon’s mood, and try to guess what the mysterious rune was all about. I returned to their sleeping quarters and found Ilya already escorting the little ones out of the bedroom, her oversized nightgown dragged over the floor. A wide smile appeared on her face as soon as her eyes fell on me, and suddenly, my heart felt like it would explode.
“How is my favorite Hunter doing?” I asked.
“Itching to kick Istvan Kiln’s butt in the next round. You have to pair me with him, seriously,” Ilya replied.
The little ones formed a line and hugged me one by one before continuing towards the kitchen. As always, Virdian shuffled slowly, in a zombie-like state, and Loki herded him as best as he could in Bernese. On the other hand, Nokti, Shu, and Ash were full of energy. The victory at the tournament had quickly infected everyone.
Ilya knocked on Firana’s door while I did the same on Wolf’s and Zaon’s. A moment later, the two were in the corridor. Zaon didn’t reply, so I opened the door. The room was empty, and the bed was already tidied, but I didn’t recall seeing anyone training early in the backyard. Risha was nowhere to be found either.
“That rat. I bet he is training in the ballroom,” Firana said, rushing into her bedroom and grabbing her sparring clothes. Before she could jump behind the wooden screen, I stopped her.
“Today, we rest, Firana. Have breakfast first and then meet me in the ballroom. We have things to discuss,” I said, examining their expressions. Firana showed no sign of being affected by last night’s conversation. It was a good sign.
The three kids nodded and walked down the corridor, chatting and messing around.
Following Firana’s suspicion, I crossed the western wing into the old ballroom. As soon as I reached the gloomy corridor that separated both wings, I heard the footwork and the sound of wood against wood of sword sparring. I peeked through the ornate door and saw Zaon fighting against Risha. The elven boy used a two-handed sword, while Risha had a short spear and a big round shield.
They were only lightly sparring. Risha had spent almost a decade fighting in the Farlands, so he knew when to push the cadets and have them recover. I examined their movements. Risha's style was particular, almost as if he was more used to defending than pressing the attack. Not that it surprised me. The Defender class had one of the highest defensive stats both in the physical and magical sides, while their attack stat was comparable with a Basic Class.
The Defender Class suited Risha’s personality. It was hard to imagine him wanting to hurt someone.
Zaon attacked Risha’s spear side, putting him in a predicament. If Risha blocked with the shield, he had to cross his arms, leaving him in an uncomfortable position to counter. If he used the spear to defend, his shield bash didn’t have enough range to sneak a blow against Zaon. On the rare occasion Risha managed to parry, Zaon’s pace was quick enough to get away from the spear’s range.
I had to blink repeatedly to convince myself the scene before me wasn’t a mirage product of the few hours of sleep. Zaon seemed to be a completely different person. His shoulders were relaxed, and any sign of doubt in his intentions had disappeared entirely. It took a whole year for some of my old clubmates to learn to remain composed during sparring. The tournament fight had turned a switch on Zaon’s mind.
Before entering, I knocked on the door, and Risha and Zaon put down their weapons.
“Please continue. I didn’t want to interrupt,” I said.
“When the big dog enters a room, the pups must shut up,” Risha replied, putting down his spear and leaving his shield against the wall. “Plus, we were about to finish.”
Zaon imitated him.
“Come on, Risha. The orphanage is your home. You grew up here. If anything, I am the guest. Don’t treat me like I am the manor’s lord,” I said, putting a hand on Zaon’s shoulder as a morning greeting. “Plus, you have twenty-five levels on me.”
Risha sat on the window’s ledge and shook his head.
“Elincia can’t stop talking about you, you know? She told me about that time you shattered a mountain over a Lich’s head,” Risha said.
Zaon fumbled the water jug but managed to grab it midair with minimal losses. I didn’t expect Risha to bring that up or Elincia to talk about it. Despite the feeling of unlimited power, I would rather keep those memories away. We had almost died.
I wondered where Risha wanted to get with this conversation.
“That was a one-time thing,” I replied, brushing it off. “And I didn’t shatter a mountain. I channeled the heat of the rock towards a single spot, melting the stone above the Lich’s head. The mountain shattered due to the expansion of the water trapped in the rock turning into ice.”
My Scholar blabbing didn’t seem to be enough to deflect the conversation.
“Elincia is my dearest grumpy little sister, Rob. I owe you for looking over the orphanage, but this… I just can’t imagine life without her around,” Risha said with teary eyes. “I shouldn’t have gone away. I’m sorry, Rob. I’m sorry, Z.”
Seeing a two-meter tall, mean-looking half orc at the brink of crying touched a nerve I didn’t know I had. Yet, I understood Risha’s feelings. Seeing the orcish spear piercing Elincia’s calf made my heart stop, and I instantly knew I would rather have the Lich turning me into an undead abomination than see her dying.
“Come on, big boy, don’t do this to me,” I replied. Ilya’s spontaneous smile earlier had already weakened my defenses, and I was getting emotional too.
Risha rubbed his eyes and sniffled.
“Right. Sorry. No one died, and we are all doing great now,” Risha said, standing and wrapping his arms around our necks. “I can’t wait for Zaon to turn fifteen to share a drink like adults.”
I made a mental note to have a conversation with Risha about underage drinking. I made a second mental note to avoid telling Risha I had popped my first beer with my dad when I was thirteen. Some things better remained a secret. Risha patted my back, making my ribs creak.
“I’m sorry. I get all emotional when I think of how good of a fighter Zaon and Ilya have become,” Risha said.
Zaon replied with a timid smile, and I jabbed at Risha’s ribs. It felt nice to share a moment with the boys, but Risha’s arm weighed as much as a young tree, so I got free of his grasp and pushed him away. Risha laughed and playfully elbowed my shoulder.
“Tomorrow is your big day, Zaon. Still keeping up with that dream of yours?” I asked, sitting against the wall. If Zaon’s dream of becoming a Knight was initially a whim, now it seemed more like a reality.
Zaon passed me the water jug, and I took a sip before passing it again.
“I don’t think I want to become a Knight anymore,” he said, and the revelation caught me by surprise. “Don’t get me wrong, it would be nice to become a Knight, but I just want a Class strong enough to protect the ones I love.”
Risha messed with Zaon’s hair, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face. “Are you talking about us, or are you talking about a special lady? That Corin kid was eyeing you pretty intently last night.”
Zaon blushed.
“She’s a good friend,” he replied.
“She’s very pretty also,” Risha didn’t let the topic die. “But you have to be careful with those Couriers, Z. They can’t stand in a place for long. It’s in their Class to roam around the continent.”
I kept Corin’s secret to myself. The girl fancied Zaon enough to consider marrying him, but it was not up to me to reveal that. I leaned back and enjoyed the banter.
Zaon tried to babble an excuse, but he was interrupted by Ilya entering the ballroom. Behind her appeared Wolf and Firana, both in their sparring clothes despite my instructions to take the day to rest. I sighed. At least they were full of energy.
“Here we are,” Ilya said. “What do we need to discuss?”
I took a deep breath. Kellaren’s menace wasn’t going to go anywhere. The kids were adults now, and they deserved to know the complete picture of the orphanage's troubles.