I sat at the table in front of a steaming bowl of bean soup. Even though I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, I wasn’t particularly hungry. The meal was just an excuse to postpone my visit to Elincia’s room.

I chewed slowly, savoring the plain flavors maybe for the last time. Now that we were swimming in money, I planned to fill the pantry with every possible ingredient and spice available in Farcrest. Spaghetti carbonara, paella, goulash, I made a mental list of all the dishes I wanted to cook for the kids.

My train of thought was quickly crushed by the most pressing matters. I had grounded Elincia, and what was most surprising, she had obeyed me. The mere surrealism of the situation had me completely lost. However, the strangeness of the situation wasn’t the sole reason I was putting off my visit to Elincia’s room.

A small voice in the back of my mind playing a single sentence on repeat.

‘You are going to be rejected.’

“Are you okay, Mr. Clarke? You look worried.” Zaon asked with a worried expression as he dried his hands on his pants. Meanwhile, Firana grabbed the pile of clean bowls and put them back into the upper cabinet.

“I’m all right. I was just estimating our food budget for the winter. Is there something special you would want to eat?” I quickly replied.

“Meat! Pork! Venison!” Firana instantly jumped into the conversation. Despite the fact it was dusk, she was overflowing with energy. “Sausages! Ham! Turkey!”

Zaon looked at the girl and raised an eyebrow. When he spoke, sounded judgmental. “You’ll be better eating eggs and veggies, it’s best for your digestion.”

The words didn’t seem to sit well with Firana because she jumped on her feet and grabbed Zaon by the shoulders, playfully shaking him until his hair became all disheveled.

“I’m a better swordsman than you! I know exactly what my body needs, you flimsy twig!” Firana grunted.

“If you eat that much meat your brain will become pure muscle!” Zaon complained as his head rocked back and forth.

“Are you calling me an idiot, twig boy?” Firana replied, shaking the elven boy with renewed strength. “Maybe if you eat more meat and milk you’ll become more like Wolf.”

I watched the exchange with amusement. Not so long ago, Firana was an outcast among the orphans. My heart felt warm. Firana had come a long way since I arrived at the orphanage. She was a tough nut to crack but she had a golden heart.

“Firana, please, I don’t want my ears to heat up.” Zaon complained once again.

Maybe she was a bit too overly cheerful.

As the two exchanged playful jabs, I put my worries about Elincia to the side. It was moments like this that made the whole Farlands ordeal worthwhile. I couldn’t help but smile. Not only had we secured an income source, but the kids’ relationships and skills had also improved. For the first time in a long time, I felt I was doing something good in my life.

I closed my eyes, wondering if this was what it felt to have kids.

“Admit you like me! You surely do!” Firana had put Zaon’s head in a chokehold.

“You are too loud and brusque.” Zaon grunted.

“I don’t know what ‘brusque’ means, but I can tell you are not being honest with yourself.”

“If I start liking you, I will let you know. Now, please don’t crack open my skull.”

“Don’t you remember that story Miss Elincia used to tell us about the man who built up ten stacks of Denial and exploded?” Firana asked.

I choked on my soup. If I didn't know better I would tell that jab was directed at me.

When Zaon finally freed himself from Firana’s playful grip, I said, “Alright, you two. Let’s not turn the kitchen into a battlefield. Tomorrow I plan to squeeze you during sparring, so you better go to sleep.”

Surprisingly, both kids obeyed me and instantly stopped wrestling. When did I get that much authority over the orphanage inhabitants? Kids usually needed two or three warnings before complying.

“Let me clean your bowl. Oh, and I should grab Miss Elincia’s bowl from her bedroom too.” Zaon said as she fixed his blonde hair.

I stopped him before he could reach for my bowl. “I’ll take care from here, you two go to bed.”

The kids nodded and walked to the doorway. Zaon leading the way, and Firana following with a mischievous smile. I couldn’t call myself a teacher if I didn’t know what she was planning.

“Firana?” I called her name before they could leave.

“Yes, Mister Clarke?” She replied with an angelic voice.

“I don’t want to catch you sneaking into Zaon’s bedroom. You two really need to rest. Understood?”

My words hit Firana like a shower of cold water. I smiled; she was totally planning a forced sleepover in Zaon’s bedroom. Firana slowly turned around and glanced at me with puppy dog eyes.

“But I want to play! We only spared and tended to the farm today!” She complained.

“Should we put you in charge of the younger kids? It seems you have plenty of energy and I’m sure they are dying to play with you.” I replied with a gentle smile myself. Weaponizing little kids was part of the arsenal of every competent teacher.

“Understood. Straight to sleep.” Firana said as her shoulders deflated.

The kids waved me goodbye.

The bowl of soup sat empty in front of me, and I knew I couldn’t delay my visit to Elincia’s study any longer. I closed my eyes to collect my thoughts but the tug from the twin ring had become stronger by the second and prevented me from focusing. I ignored if it was a machination of my guilty conscience or if Elincia’s ring was really calling me.

One or the other, I couldn’t keep delaying it. I cleaned my bowl, and left the kitchen with a light stone in hand. I wondered if Firana had forced Zaon to work as a pathfinder. The elven kid could see in darkness after all. The answer was probably yes.

The corridor was dark. At night, the orphanage looked like those haunted houses from ghost movies, with peeled paint and old, creaky floors. The wind blew through the hollow roof, producing haunting sounds. Even with all of that, I felt comfortable. This was my home.

I entered the sleeping quarters and, instead of going to Elincia’s study, I walked down the corridor to my room and grabbed the second bottle of wine. I had bought it to celebrate with Elincia our most recent victory. Now it looked more like an apology gift.

Turned into a nervous wreck, I stood in front of Elincia’s study and knocked on the door.

“It’s me.” I said.

No response, just the creepy sound of the howling wind.

“Are you feeling ill?” A phantasmagorical voice asked.

I turned around in a flash.

Two phantoms dressed in white had their eyes fixed on me. I froze for a moment but when I raised my light stone, I realized it was Shu riding on Elincia’s arms. The harpy girl was wearing her pajamas, a pillowcase even older and more frayed than her daily attire. She gave me an impish smile, as if she knew her words almost gave me a heart attack.

I couldn’t be mad at her though. Even her evil smile was adorable.

“If you get ill, you get to sleep with Miss Elincia.” Shu said.

Elincia raised an eyebrow, she probably suspected Shu’s illnesses weren’t all genuine after all.

“Are you feeling ill, Shu?” I asked back.

The harpy girl shook her head before replying, “I just wanted to go to the bathroom and Loki was too scared to join me. I’m not scared, of course.”

Then, Shu jumped to the ground and swiftly walked towards the younger kid’s bedroom. Or at least as fast as her long talons allowed her. The girl looked over her shoulder to ensure we were still looking after her as she walked down the dark corridor. The glow from my light stone barely reached her. Finally, she waved at us and swiftly jumped inside the room as if ghouls from the abyss were about to grab her ankles.

I couldn’t help but smile proudly.

However, my smile lasted a moment as the ring’s tug reminded me of Elincia’s proximity. My mouth was suddenly dry. Right now, I would rather fight Dassyra than have a talk with Elincia.

“May I come in?” I said.

Elincia nodded but avoided my eyes.

The door closed behind me. The dreaded moment had come. I was alone with Elincia, and I wished [Awareness] was still there to help me read the mood. The skill remained silent. I put the light stone over the desk and hoped for the best.

A fear that ran deep into every man’s DNA took over my body, the fear of rejection.

Elincia walked with a cat-like gait across the room and sat on her bed. Her loose night robe billowed behind her. Maybe the beauty was in the eye of the beholder, but with her slender figure, Elincia’s beauty shone even in such a simple garment.

The light stone barely illuminated the room with a dying blue glow, adding to her ethereal appearance.

“Let me speak first.” Elincia broke the silence the moment I was opening my mouth.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She sounded worried?

“Look, Rob. Even if you hide it, I know you must be having a hard time suffering from Corruption. Having your Class and Skills locked must be horrible and I just make things worse by giving you more problems. I’m a hot-headed idiot and I shouldn’t have punched Ginz.” Elincia said in a faint voice.

Sometimes I forget how important the System was for the denizens of this world. It was no wonder considering that Class and levels usually determined one’s place in the social hierarchy. Having a corrupted System must have been equal to being an outcast, a useless one.

“Elincia…” I said but she cut me off.

“Don't. You should hate me. I know it’s my fault you got the Corruption. It was my fault you had to face the Lich. It was my fault you lost all the skills you have worked so hard to get.” Elincia said.

I was starting to feel even more guilty than before.

“I’m going to stop you there, lady.” I said as Elincia readied herself for the third part of her tirade.

She gave me an angry glance before continuing, “Now you are going to say ‘what’s important is that we came back alive’ or some bullshit. No, Rob. I have to take responsibility for my mistakes.”

This was the perfect moment to bring up the fact I was born and raised in a world without a System. Even if losing my ability to perform certain Skills was annoying, it was only that. An annoyance. But I bit my tongue. Even though my connection with the System was somewhat severed, even if Mr. Byrne had revealed himself to Dassyra, revealing my own otherworldly nature was still a risk. A risk I wasn’t willing to take.

“Thinking logically, a bunch of Scholar skills aren’t a great price for our lives.” I said.

“You are not being honest!” Elincia replied with an accusing voice as she jumped on her feet. Anger was starting to show in her voice.

My ‘de-escalation’ stat must be low in this world too because I got angry too.

“How can I be honest if you don’t even believe in what I say!”

“I’m an adult, Rob. You don't have to act all condescending in front of me.” Elincia grunted.

“Oh? You want the truth? I will tell you the truth then.” I spoke over her complaints. “I like you too much to even consider blaming you. Even if I really cared about losing my skills, I would still think it’s a fair trade for your safety. I’d give up my skills any day of the week to protect the orphanage.”

Elincia opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. Instead, she glared at me with ice-melting intensity. I knew Elincia well enough to realize she was trying to find any trace of deception in my voice. Were my words that hard to believe?

“Let’s have a drink.” I broke the silence. “If anything, we should be celebrating.”

I revealed the bottle of wine.

“Something good happened?” Elincia asked in a suspicious voice.

Her tone reminded me of when we first met.

“I struck a deal with Nasiah.” I replied, putting my coin pouch over the table next to the light stone.

Elincia slowly approached the desk, the mood was still awkward between us.

Three gold and a few silver and copper coins shone under the pale glow from the light stone.

“I hoped it would be a bit more… not that I’m complaining. If we manage to brew five more batches we will have enough to survive the winter and a bit more.” Elincia sighed as she examined a gold coin. “I can probably get some good fabric cloth and fix the kid’s clothing. Yeah, it should be enough to survive another season. Their shoes though–”

“Eli.” I interrupted her. “This is just an advance. The batch sold for almost twenty-four gold. After Nasiah’s cut, we will get nineteen pieces directly to our pockets.”

My words seemed to break something inside Elincia’s brain because her eyes got lost through the window. I had to stifle a laugh. We were rich, after all. No more worries about food, or clothing, or fuel for the stove. With this amount of gold, our only pressing task was to get the kids into the Imperial Academy.

“Nineteen times five…” Elincia muttered.

“Almost a hundred gold pieces, and another twenty as store credit.” I replied.

It was hard to tell what was more pale. The Moon, Elincia’s nightgown, or her own face. For an instant I thought she was going to faint, but instead she looked me directly in the eye. Then, without prior notice, she pounced on me, coiling both her arms and legs around my body.

I stumbled back and we almost ended up on the floor.

Elincia squeezed me with the strength of a boa constrictor as she laughed. Then, she grabbed my face with both hands and forced me to look at her emerald eyes. There was no turning back, I was in love with her.

“We are rich…” Elincia muttered.

“We are filthy rich.” I replied.

Our faces were so close that, for a moment, I thought I was going to kiss her.

Elincia gave me another squeeze before letting me go, however, she didn’t get very far. Before reaching the bed, she sat on the floor. Her legs were trembling, and her eyes were teary. She was in shock. I grabbed the bottle of wine and sat in front of her.

“For the orphanage.” I said, taking the first sip.

I passed her the bottle.

“For the orphanage.” Elincia replied with a quivering voice.

Then, she tipped the bottle and took a long drink before handing the bottle back to me.

“Twenty-four gold coins… what in the ever-loving System. That’s like two masterwork bows and a hundred good arrows.” Elincia said.

Of course Elincia’s measurement for riches was bows and arrows.

It was hard to believe we had passed from rationing bean soup to swimming in money in a single day. Seeing Elincia so confused and happy at the same time was only the cherry on top. Slowly, the idea of our financial troubles being gone settled in her mind. I noticed her shoulders releasing tension.

I covered my mouth and laughed, not wanting to wake the kids.

The floor was uncomfortable, so I moved to use the bed as a backrest.

“All this time. All these years, it was like I was holding my breath. Waiting for something to happen but too scared to move.” Elincia muttered.

“I think you are doing a great job at the orphanage. It’s easy to navigate in the calm sea, not so much during a storm.” I replied.

My words seemed to surprise Elincia.

“Thanks. It’s been stormy since Mr. Lowell died.” She said, sitting by my side in a very unladylike manner for someone wearing a white night robe. In Elincia’s mind, she was probably by the side of a campfire.

My heart beat like a battering ram against my chest.

I felt I was standing at the edge of a precipice. Should I take a step forward or should I be content with what I currently have? Was it even the right time to reveal to Elincia my feelings for her, sitting on the floor with a bottle of cheap wine? Was the ‘right time’ even a thing?

I took a deep breath. Why was I chickening out? I had fought a goddamn Lich not a week ago. I had almost died, and my only regret was not being able to be with Elincia anymore.

‘Fuck it, we roll.’

“Elincia, I need to tell you something, but you must promise you will forget about it by tomorrow.” I said.

“Is this some kind of riddle, Mr. Scholar?” Elincia replied, bumping my shoulder.

Seeing my serious expression, she abandoned her festive mood and nodded.

I stepped onto the precipice.

“I like you, Elincia, more than I ever liked someone before. When you tease me, part of me wants to believe you are serious, and when we are like this, just the two of us alone, I don’t want the moment to ever end. At first I didn’t want to fall in love, which was foolish considering how great you are. I even fought against my feelings, but I realized I was being an idiot.” I said. “I’m in love with you, Elincia.”

Saying the words felt good, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t scared. My body begged me to jump out of the window. Part of me didn’t want to hear Elincia’s response but the ring on my finger tugged me towards her. I froze in place, not even able to reach for the wine.

“Please reconsider. I’m a single mother of twelve even if it's by technicality. You shouldn’t want to chain yourself to that kind of problem.” Elincia said.

“Request denied. I’m in love with you.”

Saying it a second time was easier. Not less frightful, but easier.

“You really are a maniac.” Elincia grunted, the faint light barely showing her blushing face.

We kissed. Slowly at first, almost awkwardly. My fingers got tangled in her hair while she wrapped her arms around my neck. Elincia was sweet and tasted like berries. After what seemed an eternity, Elincia pushed me back. Forcefully.

My heart clenched. Was something wrong?

“We have to address the ‘elephant in the room’.” Elincia’s demeanor changed drastically. She sounded almost angry.

Something was absolutely wrong.

“What’s the deal with that funny ‘Hot for Teacher’ title you have on your character sheet? Who is this mysterious teacher you like so much?” Elincia asked with an angry and suspicious tone.

Oh. I had forgotten about that one.

“How many tarts could get me out of this?” I asked in a last attempt to walk out with my honor intact. [Hot for Teacher] had been there since the first time we met, and she had seen it as soon as I learned how to ‘turn’ my character sheet.

“No bailouts for horny Scholars. Now, spill the beans. You said your ex-fiancé was a Healer so I’m assuming this ‘teacher’ you are so hot for isn’t her.” Elincia looked me straight in the eye.

“I got the title not so long ago. It was after breaking my engagement.” I shrugged my shoulders, downplaying the issue.

“Alright, not an adulterous Scholar, good start. And then?”

Elincia snatched the wine bottle and gave it a long sip. She wasn’t happy at all.

“Okay, so, I met this chick. The most beautiful woman I had ever met in my life. The kind of woman you know is way out of your league. Glossy hair, smooth skin, disarming eyes.” I explained, hiding my grin the best I could. “She was gorgeous as the moon and the stars, but she had the shittiest attitude. You understand what I’m saying?”

Elincia nodded.

“Pretty people usually think they are better than the rest.” Elincia said, still clueless I was talking about her. “This woman sounds like an annoying person.”

Oh boy, Elincia was taking the bait.

“Well, at first she was annoying. But then I realized she was more than just a pretty face. She was also funny, capable, and caring. Even if the rest of the people believed she wasn’t any good, I knew she was great.” I explained, stifling a laugh. “She was still a bit bothersome, yes, but in a charming way. I might be biased in that regard.”

Elincia crossed her arms over her chest and gave me an annoyed glance.

“You were biased because you were hot for her?”

“Because she was pretty.”

“Typical man.” Elincia sighed. “I get the ‘hot’ part now, but what did she teach? Was she a colleague of yours back in the City of Light?”

I took a deep breath and made myself comfortable on the floor.

“No, she wasn’t a colleague. Well, technically she became my colleague after we met but by the time I got that title she was teaching me Common.” I explained.

Elincia blinked repeatedly, seemingly unable to find the right words.

“But I was the one who taught you how to speak Common.” Elincia quietly said.

She was clueless.

“Yes, you taught me how to speak Common.” I agreed, watching how the inner gears of Elincia’s mind slowly turned.

Then, realization hit her like an 18-wheeler.

“You were hot for me from the beginning! You horny Scholar!” Elincia jumped up with the biggest grin I had ever seen. Then, just before leaning for the kiss, her smile vanished. Realization hit her for the second time. “Hey! I’m not annoying or bothersome! I’m the most calm and rational person in Farcrest.”

“May the System have mercy on us then.” I said, as waves of relief washed upon my body. “Wouldn't it be fair if you tell me about one of your titles too?”

Elincia placed a quick kiss on my cheek and dove into her bed. I could see her bright red ears from my position. Seeing her all bashful was medicine for my soul.

“It’s late and I am too tired.” Elincia spoke from under her blankets.

“Well, I’m going back to my room then.” I replied, grabbing the bottle of wine, and putting it on the night table. I walked to the door.

“Are you dense or something?” Elincia said, looking over her shoulder. Then, she opened the blankets and patted the mattress by her side. “Please?”

“I’m sorry. I only sleep with girls who are in love with me.” I taunted her as I turned the doorknob slowly.

She mumbled something I didn’t get to hear.

“I’m also in love with you. For a while now.” Elincia shyly said.

I entered the bed. It smelled like Elincia. She searched for my hand beneath the blankets and interlocked fingers with me. We kissed in silence until the light stone burned the last traces of mana.

“I’m sorry but I’m not going to forget this by tomorrow.” Elincia said as her fingers got tangled into my hair. She kissed the tip of my nose. “No backsies.”

“No backsies.”

I kissed Elincia’s neck, eliciting the most delightful sound I had ever heard.

Effeϲts οf Denial have subsid̶ed̶. You nο lοnger are being ɐffeϲţed by Denial.

G̶o̴dspeed, ϲοwbο͐͆y.