I grabbed a couple books and left Elincia alone in her bedroom.

Outside of the safe haven of Elincia’s bedroom, the orphans roamed free making it hard for me to find a quiet spot to read. The orphanage’s future was somewhat secured but I couldn’t get rid of the sense of urgency in the back of my mind.

“You don’t have to do everything right now. This is a process, it takes time.” I repeated with little success. Most of what I should’ve done or known, was due yesterday. The fact that we only had six months until the try-outs for the Imperial Academy wasn’t helping to quench my anxiety.

If I revealed I was a native from a systemless world then Elincia might have given me a crash course on System Mechanics. But the System’s warning about revealing my origin was still too fresh in my memory. As long as I didn’t know the exact consequences of disclosing such information, I must keep it a secret.

The System had the capacity of altering my brain which meant it probably had the capacity of shutting it down. The System could also retaliate against anyone I told my secret to.

What I needed was a quiet place where I could put my thoughts in order. The kitchen was out of bounds in between meals. I grabbed my books and scurried through the manor, trying to avoid the younger kids.

When I closed the door behind me, I was met with two big brown eyes looking at me with a startled expression. Firana. It took me a second to understand why she was so surprised at seeing me in the kitchen. She was having a stealth snack.

Firana had a small carrot in her hand and a stem of celery in the other.

“Don’t worry, I’m not telling.” I said.

A smile appeared on her face. A little bit of complicity goes a long way, I repeated to myself as I sat on the nearest seat to the stove. I just hoped this wasn’t enough for the System to give her the Thief class.

“Are you sure you won’t give me away?” Firana squinted suspiciously at me as she nibbled her celery in front of me.

“If you give me a bite, then we will be accomplices.” I joked.

Firana offered me half of her carrot and I accepted it, it was sweet and tasty. What I truly wanted was a moment to talk to Firana alone. She was the orphan I had talked with the least.

Zaon wanted to become a Knight. Ilya wanted to become a Hunter. Wolf was still an enigma, but I was going to get him to crack eventually. Firana was my only student of which I knew next to nothing.

“I have heard a lot about your previous teacher, Mister Holst. I wonder what you can tell me about him, the others seem to be a little biased.” I mindlessly said as I flipped the pages of my book.

None of the kids knew about Holst’s plotting against the orphanage and it might be best to keep it that way.

Firana shrugged.

“I don’t know. He taught me how to fence after the rest of my family joined the army. He also taught me table manners, how to behave in front of nobles, and that kind of stuff.” The girl said with a hint of sadness. “Oh, and he also invited me to the gallery in the Great Hall and showed me how to ride a horse. That was fun.”

Holst’s curriculum caught me by surprise. Assuming the man was preparing Firana to rub shoulders with nobility wasn’t a wild guess. Firana was from a famous family after all. Maybe Holst wasn’t just ‘farming’ titles but really saw Firana’s potential. In the end, going to the Imperial Library must have been more desirable to him than training a prospective fencer.

“Holst was nice to you.” I pointed out.

“He was exigent but fair.” Firana replied. “When I failed, he still reprimanded me.”

Given Firana’s talent, she must’ve failed considerably less than Ilya and Zaon.

It wasn’t hard to understand why Firana felt so dejected with Holst’s sudden departure. Firana belonged to a famous mercenary family and Holst was the only one who helped her become an Aias.

“What class do you wanna get, Firana?” I asked.

The girl touched her temple with the celery stick and closed her eyes, deep in thought. Then she stood and walked around the table to sit next to me.

“Open that one.” Firana said, pointing at a thick black leather book that looked like a diary.

The book was an old handwritten copy with no discernible author, no title, no forward. Instead of an index, it had a chart with the names of different classes. At first sight there were around twenty but when I turned the page I realized the list went on and on.

“There are a lot of classes, aren’t there?” I said as I quickly flipped the pages.

“More than two hundred.” Firana replied, shrugging her shoulders. “I counted them, but don’t tell Miss Elincia, she doesn’t know I entered her room to read the books.”

“Your secret is safe with me but you have to stop doing that.” I replied.

The list of classes ended and I found myself in front of what seemed to be the character sheet of an unnamed player.

Class: Archer.

Role: Backline combatant.

Rarity: Common.

Known Skills: Piercing Shot, True Shot, Farshot, Blazing Arrow, Frost Arrow, Knockback Arrow, Stunning Arrow, Critical Shot, Swift Step, True Sight, Flare, Tenacity, Wind Walk, Eagle Eye, Evasion, Steady Aim, Read Wind, Spiderweb, Power Stab.

Strength

Endurance

Magic

Spirit

Speed

Mana

C

D

E

E

C

D

My RPG-sense tingled. Unlike Echbert’s On Classes, this was totally my jam.

“Archer isn’t a powerful class, is it?” I asked.

My question should’ve been extremely basic because Firana gave me a perplexed look.

“Nobody is going to tell you ‘I want to become an Archer when I grow up’, I guess. Even a Hunter is a better class, and Hunter is considered a support class. Everyone knows that.” Firana swallowed the celery before answering.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“It might seem obvious, but this is not information we have in my homeland.” I explained as I skimmed through the book.

My ignorance surprised Firana.

“You really don’t know this stuff?”

“Don’t be ashamed of confessing your ignorance, Firana, be ashamed of not searching for knowledge and aiming for improvement.” I replied with my best teacher's voice.

We flipped the pages in silence. From time to time, Firana put her finger over the book for me to stop on a certain class. There were a lot of them. Archer, Brawler, Warrior, Fencer, Knight, Paladin. Also magic classes. Mage, Witch, Shaman, Hexmage, Cleric. And a few more exotic ones. Cat Mage, Glutton, Sky Pirate, Battle Chef, Mime.

When we reached the last page, Firana’s expression was somber.

“Did any of them catch your eye?” I asked.

“Not really.” She sighed and threw her head back.

The fact Firana was already talking to me after our rough start was already a victory in my books. A partial victory at least.

“Want to talk about it?”

A mischievous smile crept on the girl’s face.

“If you beat me in a duel I’ll tell you.”

“Firana, I already beat you in a duel not so long ago.” I said.

“You probably have [Longsword Mastery], that’s how you won. But what about rapier fencing?” She replied in a playful tone and her eyes shone with a glint of excitement.

Firana was the kind of person who felt most comfortable with a sword in her hand. In my HEMA club there were members just like Firana. For me it was a fun and interesting activity, but for others it was a matter of passion.

Firana beamed at me.

“Alright, young lady. I’ll show you what a Scholar is capable of.” I replied.

After leaving the books in a safe place, far from the threat of sticky hands, Firana followed me into the backyard. The younger kids left Zaon and Ilya behind at the farm plot and sprinted towards us, asking if we wanted to join their games. However, to the kids' dismay, Firana shushed them and jogged towards the shed to retrieve the fencing gear.

“Are we training?” Zaon asked as he came close.

The elven kid’s hands and face were covered in dirt. I smiled. After half a dozen small meltdowns during the last two weeks, he accepted his role as the farm team leader. The more work he put into the farm, the fewer concerns he showed.

“Firana challenged me to a duel.” I calmly replied.

“Again?! She already lost once, I can’t believe she’s so selfish.” Ilya grumbled.

“It’s a friendly duel, Ilya. And don’t talk about your classmates like that., please”

Ilya grumbled an apology but didn’t look happy with the situation.

Firana came back with a mountain of equipment in her arms. She stumbled across the backyard and deposited everything in the big stump. If anything, the orphanage was well supplied in the swordsmanship department. During Elincia’s time as an orphan, everything was probably even better.

Zaon and Ilya sorted the younger kids behind the stump while I put on a padded jacket. Their excited whispers reached my ears. Nokti and Virdian were my stalwart supporters while Ash argued that Firana was going to beat me with her Lv.1 [Fencing]. Scholars were really looked down on in this world.

“Are you ready, Firana?” I asked as I grabbed the mask and the rapier.

In the same fashion as the longswords, the balance was further from the hilt that I was used to.

“Always ready, Mister Clarke.” The girl put on her mask and cut the air with her rapier.

I signaled Zaon to judge the match and the boy, instead of looking around to ensure I was talking to him, instantly jumped on his feet.

“The first who reaches ten points wins the match. Simultaneous hits don’t count. Head hits count as double points.” Zaon said out loud.

Firana raised her guard. A frontal stance with the weight of the body on the back foot to prioritize quick lunges. I saluted and raised my rapier with the arm completely extended, showing my profile and keeping my feet perpendicular to each other. The tips of our swords barely touched.

“Fight!”

Firana lowered her rapier.

“You skipped the ‘have fun’ part.” The girl said.

Thankfully I had my mask on so I could hide my laughter.

“Can I? R-really?” Zaon stuttered. “Alright. The first who reaches ten points wins the match. Simultaneous hits don’t count. Head hits count as double points. And most importantly, have fun!”

I needed a moment to choke my laughter before I could raise my rapier again.

“Fight!”

Firana jumped forward as soon as Zaon elicited the last syllable and she almost caught me by surprise. My [Swordsmanship] triggered a quick response and I took a quick step to the side and deflected the tip of Firana’s sword.

“Not too shabby for an old man.” Ash said.

At least someone recognized my maturity.

Firana recovered her footing and tried to smack my sword away but I effortlessly moved her blade out of my way and tapped Firana’s mask with the tip of my rapier.

“Hit!” Zaon yelled. “Return to positions.”

Firana’s face was covered by her mask and I couldn’t watch her expression. However, she must’ve been set aback by my skills because she took a moment too much to raise her guard.

The duel continued at a fast pace. Firana deployed a whole arsenal of strikes, parries and counters, but every time I positioned my blade to control hers. When the score was seven to one, she grew even more reckless allowing me to steal another point.

“You focus too much on your own sword. Don’t let me have the leverage advantage.” My voice came out muffled by the mask.

Firana pulled off her mask and, for a moment, I was afraid she was going to stomp her way out of the backyard. Instead, she silently moved her lips. I concede.

“How dare you challenge me, swordsman from a faraway land!” Firana gracefully jumped over the tree stump and flourished her rapier.

The kids laughed at the theatrical display.

“To get to the princess, you will have to walk over my dead body!” Firana continued.

The fact that Zaon was right behind her didn’t go unnoticed by the orphans.

“Si creeis que podeis detenerme venid a por mi, villana!” I replied with my best Spanish accent as I adopted a more extravagant stance. “Os robaré a la princesa y todas vuestras patatas!”

I just wished I had a cape so I could cosplay as Alatriste.

We jumped, rolled, and exchanged flashy swings in an improvised play. The basic plot was that I was there to kidnap the princess and Firana was trying to stop me. Of course, the kids couldn’t understand a word of what I was saying but they found the Spanish accent amusing.

Nokti and Virdian instantly sided with me while the rest of the kids chanted for Firana. The fight continued at a fast pace until Elincia opened the kitchen window and yelled that the dinner was ready. The younger kids went crazy as they shouted about the appearance of the princess. However, Elincia shut them down with a single glare.

In the end, only Firana and I remained in the backyard.

“Wanna talk now, or do you want to grab a bite first.” I said as I untied my padded jacket.

“I was lucky to hit a single point.” Firana replied, leaving her rapier against the stump. Her face was covered in sweat and her chestnut hair stuck to the sides of her face. “You are too skilled to be a non-combatant.”

“You know I’m a Scholar, right? I do believe people can learn all kinds of different things despite their classes.” I said, summoning my character sheet. “Look at this.”

Name: Robert Clarke, Human.

Class: Scholar Lv.12

Titles: Confidant, Classroom Fiend, Favorite Teacher (96), Master Tutor, Silver Scholar, Delinquent Reformer (5), Stalwart Mentor (7), Role Model, Expert Mathematician, Expert Physicist, Adept Historian, Adept Linguist, Journeyman Biologist, Novice Chemist, Novice Orator, (other 4 hidden).

Passive: Lv.5 Swordsmanship, Mana Manipulation, Awareness, Master of Languages.

Skills: Identify, Stun Gaze, Intimidate.

Firana’s eyes became wide open when she realized I was sharing my character sheet with her. As Elincia had hinted during our first meeting in the Farlands, character sheets were something private that people only shared with those who they trusted.

“Level twelve isn’t really impressive but those are a lot of titles… LEVEL FIVE SWORDSMANSHIP!? HOW? WHY?” Firana stood up and brought her face closer to the character sheet.

I couldn't suppress my laughter upon seeing Firana’s gaping mouth.

“I studied swordsmanship for years.” I explained. “Sure, I will never be as strong as a Knight or a Fencer but the time I spent training has served me well in other aspects of my life. The dedication, fortitude, and focus required to fence, I also use them for studying and teaching.”

Firana nodded and I dispelled my character sheet.

“So… hypothetically speaking, it would be okay for me to want a Class not related to fencing?” Firana spoke slowly, as if she was testing the waters.

“Some people would say you were wasting your talent by getting a non-combatant Class.” I replied, watching the girl’s reaction. She was discouraged. “But human beings aren’t determined only by their talents, skills, or their family. Of course you would make a great Fencer, but in the end you are going to have to live with the Class you choose, so you have to follow your heart and not other people’s words… hypothetically speaking, of course.”

“Hypothetically speaking, yes.” Firana emphasized my words.

“Go have some lunch. I’ll sort things out here.” I said, satisfied with my conversation with Firana.

The girl nodded and left her rapier and mask on the big stump. As she headed inside she stopped one last time.

“I’m sorry for disrespecting you, sir. From now on I will be the best student you could have.” Firana quickly said and ran into the orphanage before I could reply.

As I gathered the training equipment alone, I looked at the manor’s entrance.

“And I will be the best teacher you could ever have… I hope.”