Nasiah moved the wand in a wide arc over her head, channeling the green mana from the wand’s core. A cascade of sparks fell upon the counter as the woman charged the spell to its maximum power. I raised the barrier and braced for the impact, expecting my mana pool to deplete violently, but Nasiah’s hand faltered before shooting the spell. The wand fell over the counter.
“Risha?!” Zaon asked, standing in front of the half-orc.
“Z, is that you?” Risha asked in disbelief.
The half-orc was unfazed by Nasiah’s attack, but Zaon’s presence completely put him off. The next moment, Zaon and Risha merged into a tight hug. The half-orc had to kneel to go down to Zaon’s height. Seven years had passed since Risha had abandoned the orphanage.
“Look at you, Z! In a year or two, you will be bigger than me!” Risha laughed as he felt Zaon’s biceps. The half-orc’s smile was so broad that his tusks curved upwards, almost poking his eyes. “Did you get your class already? No, your birthday is still one month away. Have you been lifting weights?”
Lifting weights wasn’t part of my strength training, but Zaon had built up quite a bit of muscle from swinging a sword.
“I have been training a lot,” Zaon replied, as flustered as I had ever seen him.
“Of course you are; becoming a Knight ain’t easy,” Risha said, pulling Zaon back and standing up. Then he looked at me. “I’m sorry, my name is Risha. I used to live in the same orphanage as Zaon. You should be Zaon’s father?”
The half-orc offered me his hand.
“Mister Clarke is not my father. He’s a caretaker at the orphanage,” Zaon said.
Risha examined me with a puzzled expression. “Are you telling me a Fortifier is working at the orphanage? Elincia and Astrid must have a big business going!”
His deep, hearty laughter put me off. I felt as if Risha was talking about a completely different orphanage—one that hadn’t suffered economic misery. I wondered if this Astrid person Risha mentioned was the fourth orphan left in charge of the orphanage after Mr. Lowell’s death.
“Robert Clarke, Scholar,” I introduced myself, stretching his big, green hand. Even if I didn’t mean to, my voice came out cold. Risha didn’t seem to notice. He was more confused about the fact I could raise a mana shield like a Fortifier.
“I owe you, Robert. If it weren’t for you, my auntie Nasiah would’ve trimmed my face,” Risha said, casting an accusing glance towards the shopkeeper.
Nasiah was livid to the point she couldn’t utter a word.
“Let me take you for a drink as a token of gratitude for helping me and the orphanage. Zaon can come with us too. He’s old enough for a cold ale with Uncle Risha,” he put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a friendly pat.
Was Risha putting up an act? It didn’t seem so.
“Zaon is a kid. He is still too young for drinking booze,” I replied.
Risha let out a deep laugh. “Now you sound like Mister Lowell! Well, having someone to carve some sense into Elincia’s head is good. Ginz is a pushover, and Astrid can be uncooperative. I like you already, Scholar.”
Risha then passed by my side and approached Nasiah with open arms. The woman was still out of words, looking at the scene unfolding before her with a vulnerable expression. It was my first time seeing her other than grumpy or greedily happy.
“Aren’t you going to hug your nephew?” Risha asked.
Nasiah suddenly regained her natural brazenness. “Listen here, you Overgrown Olive. Seven damn years without news of you, and you decide it’s okay just to show up?”
“What are you talking about? I have written letters every time I got the chance,” Risha replied defensively, frozen in place. “Tell her I have been sending letters at the orphanage too, Robert.”
If Risha was lying, he was a serious contender for the award for best actor.
“I’m sorry, pal. No news of you at the orphanage either. Everyone here believes you were dead or missing.” I broke the news to him, and I couldn’t help but feel a tingle of sympathy for him.
Risha’s face became a pale green shade. He turned towards Zaon, searching for confirmation, but the elven boy just shook his head. Suddenly, [Awareness] let out a dull stab in the back of my brain, warning me of imminent danger. I instinctively raised the mana shield just in time to block Nasiah’s wind blades. The charged spell ricocheted against the barrier, making one of the windows explode outward. The cold wind invaded the store.
My body shivered as my mana pool instantly regenerated the barrier.
“Let’s go, Z. I’ll come back later when the old hag calms down,” Risha covered Zaon with his broad back. We retreated out of the store under a rain of insults worthy of a hardened sailor.
I closed the door behind me, leaving the angry merchant behind. A shiver ran down my spine. My mana pool had taken a hit withstanding Nasiah’s spells. The cold winter wind didn’t make it more tolerable, but at least the preserved fruit was still safe in the satchel.
“Would you like to get that drink now?” Risha asked, dragging Zaon down the alley and far from the store windows.
“Let’s go,” I replied. I had a lot of questions, and Risha probably had them too.
The three of us walked through the maze of alleys in silence until we reached a big, three-story building with a thatched roof and an embalmed head of a Black Wolf over the door. A sign hung from the door. The Dizzy Wolf.
“I knew this place was still up,” Risha said, his voice much less lively than before.
The tavern was almost full despite the lack of royal soldiers or guardsmen. Most regulars were battle-hardened warriors, so I assumed the locale was focused on the mercenaries that supported Farcrest security. Since the uneventful Monster Surge, the Marquis seemed to have been reinforcing his ranks.
Risha reached the bar and pushed a lanky craftsman to the side to make space for us three. The man gave him a killer glance but moved to the side nonetheless. As there were no seats, we remained on our feet.
“Three ales,” Risha said to the old man behind the counter.
“Two ales and a glass of kompot,” I replied.
The innkeeper nodded, and a moment later, a young woman with more cleavage than what I wanted Zaon to see brought us our drinks. She smiled and got back to serve other customers.
“Can you do us the favor?” Risha asked with an annoyed voice, seemingly to the air. However, the tavern’s owner turned around and blew over our drinks, leaving a faint trail of frost over the counter. “You must ask if you want these scammers cooling your drink.”
The innkeeper frowned at us but remained silent. I wondered if I could sell him Minor Mana Essences at a discounted price. Without the Monster Surge panic stirring things around Ffarcrest, the Alchemist Guild might notice.
I took a sip of my cold drink. It tasted better than the lukewarm piss I occasionally drank with Elincia. Risha emptied half of his mug in a single go. Zaon imitated him, and his eyes shone at the sweet taste of the cold fruit juice. One had to be blind to not see how much Zaon admired Risha. It was unsurprising; Ilya and Zaon had spent all their lives with him before he left to fight the war.
“So, I’m guessing the money I've been sending hasn’t arrived,” Risha said.
“No,” I replied.
“Elincia is going to kill me if she sees me, isn’t she?”
“Most probably,”
Risha emptied his mug and signaled the barmaid to refill it. The young woman moved with the grace of a deer across the tavern and quickly served the drink. I didn’t know what Class she was, but it was apparent she had a movement skill similar to Elincia’s [Light-Footed] trait. The barmaid offered Zaon another glass, and the boy gladly accepted. Then, as she filled his glass, she winked at him, and Zaon turned red as a beet.
When the woman turned around, Risha playfully elbowed Zaon’s ribs. There was no doubt Risha loved Zaon, which made it difficult for me to hate him despite the state of the orphanage after his ‘desertion.’
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Remember, Z, she doesn’t like you. She only wants a good tip, and we tip for good work, not pretty faces,” Risha said as Zaon followed the woman with his eyes.
“Yes, Risha,” Zaon obediently said.
We sipped our drinks in silence.
“Have you really been sending money to the orphanage all these years?” I asked.
“I know you don’t have any reason to believe me, but yes. Didn’t Astrid tell you?” Risha said.
“Astrid left the day after you left. Then Ginz left shortly after,” Zaon said. “Miss Elincia has been our only caretaker until Mister Clarke arrived at the start of autumn.”
Risha fumbled his mug, spilling the ale over the counter. Before the liquid could fall to the floor, the barmaid jumped to the fray, wielding a rag and a bucket. The half-orc muttered an apology before asking for another refill.
Now that the orphanage was my home, Risha’s story concerned me. Part of me wanted to hate him. However, if Risha was innocent, I wanted to allow Elincia to reconnect with her old best friend. Ultimately, she will have to decide whether to forgive him or not.
“Why did you leave, Risha? Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked.
Risha punched the counter, making the wood creak and the floor tremble. The innkeeper glared at us from the opposite corner of the counter, but Risha ignored him. The furniture must’ve been built with drunk, high-level combatants in mind.
“Elincia wouldn’t have let me go, but we needed the money. The escort missions for the Alchemist Guild paid too little, and there were no serious crafting scene in Farcrest to justify hunting down high-level monsters for advanced materials.” Risha grunted. “Astrid was supposed to tell Elincia where I go… that treacherous dog.”
I laughed in complete disbelief; a tiny communication problem had triggered the orphanage’s collapse.
“Risha, you perfect imbecile,” I said. Despite saying the words from my heart, part of me knew I wasn’t the one to start pointing fingers at people. “For seven years, Elincia has been working alone just because you didn’t trust her enough to include her in your plans. You are as guilty as Astrid and Ginz for abandoning her. Do you even know how hard the recent years have been?”
“I was swindled,” Risha grunted.
“It didn't seem suspicious to you that Elincia hadn’t answered a single letter in seven years? Or you were too busy leveling up to realize, you absolute buffoon?” I grunted back.
“I thought Elincia wasn’t responding because she was still resentful,” Risha let out a guttural growl.
Elincia being resentful after seven years made sense; still, Risha should’ve been more thoughtful. Our voices had risen until the whole tavern looked at us, expecting a fight.
“Let’s calm down before we get kicked out,” Zaon interjected. “It’s more important to discover who has been stealing Risha’s money… I think.”
I took a deep breath. Zaon was right. As much as Elincia and the orphanage had suffered from Risha’s fault, he was still a victim. If what he said was true, of course.
“The Aias, those damn mercs. I knew we couldn’t trust them,” Risha said, leaving a pile of silver coins on the table and walking to the exit.
Zaon tensed up but grabbed Risha before he could get far. Sensing Zaon’s hands around his arm, Risha let himself be dragged back to the counter. The Aias couldn’t be the ones who had been stealing from Risha, and who knew how many soldiers more.
“The Aias Family is gone, Risha,” I said, just to continue in a whisper. “But I know someone who might operate under their name. Loan shark, attempted kidnapper, and scammer. Kellaren Odra-Aias, from a secondary branch of the Aias Family.”
Risha nodded. “I know the man, and I know where he lives.”
“So, what are we going to do?” Zaon whispered.
Risha laughed. “You, little elf, will return to the orphanage and keep this reunion a secret. The Aias are renowned, high-level mercenaries; not something you can fight heads on.”
Zaon looked at me like he was searching for support.
“I’d say we bring Zaon with us. It’s not like we were sieging Kellaren’s house, and he has a good eye for details,” I said.
“Aren’t we?” Risha asked. “I assumed you were a super-high-level Scholar.”
“Elincia forbid me from picking fights. It was becoming a problem,” I shrugged.
Risha grinned and nodded approvingly.
We finished our drinks and exited the inn. As we descended the stairs, I rummaged through my pockets and gave Zaon a silver coin. He gave me a curious glance, and I told him it was a tip for the waitress. A smirk was drawn on Risha’s face as the elven boy tried to convince me to tip myself. I flatly refused. Zaon was handsome, and I foresee him becoming even more in the future. He needed to learn how to deal with girls before I sent him to the Imperial Academy.
Zaon walked up the stairs like someone making their way to the gallows.
When we were alone, Risha spoke again. “How bad are things around the orphanage now?” His voice came out full of regret.
“We are doing well right now. That’s the only important part,” I replied.
“Thanks,” Risha said.
A moment later, Zaon exited the inn, his face glowing red. Risha put an arm around the boy’s shoulders and laughed. “What? She kissed you or something?”
“She told me my ears were cute,” Zaon muttered.
Risha sighed. “You still have a long way to go.”
The three of us leisurely chatted and joked as we made our way to the Eastern District, where the old Aias Manor was. It wasn’t a surprise Risha was Elincia’s best friend. The half-orc was a delight to be around. If I had met him in the hallways of my old college, we would’ve become instant friends.
The fact that Zaon adored Risha was making it hard for me not to trust him.
Risha guided us through an alley. Then, we climbed a set of moldy stairs that led us to the roof of an abandoned house. Despite the Eastern District not being in as bad a state as the Northern District, there were still empty houses here and there. Risha seemed to know Farcrest’s nooks and crannies like the palm of his hand, even after several years.
The wooden beams cracked under Risha’s weight. Zaon and I, on the other hand, didn’t have the same problem as we both had access to the [Light-Footed] trait. I felt as agile as a cat. Ultimately, the roof supported our weights combined, and I thanked the System for having magical builders.
“Down,” Risha said as we reached the rooftop.
Before us, there was a cobbled square with a small monument of a man riding a skeeth. A famous member of the Aias family, I assumed. On the other side of the square was an enormous manor with an ample courtyard in front—Firana’s old home.
A squad of armed warriors conducted exercises in the yard. I counted at least thirty of them. Many more worked in the surroundings, caring for the bushes, cleaning the windows, watering horses, and training hunting dogs. For a dead family, the Aias seemed to flourish.
A red flag with a yellow flame flew at half-mast. Over the Aias symbol, however, flew another banner. The raven over a silver background. I recognized that coat of arms from the parade entering the Great Hall. It was one of the big noble houses of Ebros Kingdom.
“Why is the Osgiria banner hanging here?” Risha asked.
“Who?” I replied.
“Mister Clarke arrived here in a portal accident. He doesn’t know many things about the kingdom,” Zaon came to my rescue.
“So, you know Ebros kingdom is surrounded by the Farlands from the east, west, and north, don’t you? The Osgiria Dukedom covers all of the southern frontiers, meaning they manage the foreign trade of the Ebros Kingdom.” Risha explained. “They are the most powerful house after the royal family itself.”
I clicked my tongue. Kellaren has been expanding his influence while I played with glowing paper. I glanced at the soldiers. A few of them had the raven symbol in their armor. Kellaren was virtually untouchable if he had a deal with the Osgiria House. Not even the Marquis was as powerful as a duke.
“I’ll ask around the royal army about the Orgirian troops. You two should return to the orphanage before Elincia suspects something,” Risha sighed. Kicking some Odrac-Aias ass seemed to be out of the question. “I’ll send a messenger to the orphanage as soon as I get something.”
I nodded; for now, our goals were aligned. Besides Holst and the Marquis, Kellaren was the orphanage’s enemy number one. I just hoped the Osgiria House's presence prevented Kellaren from acting against the orphanage. However, my hopes weren’t too high. Ultimately, nobles stood over commoners.
The orphanage might need a more powerful patron than the Farcrest nobles if I wanted to keep Kellaren far from Firana. I bit my nail, deep in thought. Developing a prototype for a steam machine and finding a sponsor among the royal retinue jumped several steps in my to-do list. I needed more information about the noble houses.
We climbed down the roof and hid back in the alley.
“I need to ask you two a favor,” Risha said. “Please don’t tell Elincia we met today. I’m aware I’m asking you to lie to her, but please, I want to sort this out before presenting myself at the orphanage.”
Before I could oppose, Zaon jumped forward. “I’ll keep the secret, Risha. I believe in you.”
I decided to trust Zaon’s judgment.
“Thank you for looking after Elincia and the kids,” Risha offered me his hand.
“They have done so much more for me,” I replied, stretching it.
“You are a good man, Robert.”
Risha said goodbye, and we parted ways. The half-orc walked towards the Great Hall, and we returned to the Northern District. I grabbed the big burlap sack with the uniforms from Zaon’s hands. It wasn’t heavy, but it was cumbersome. The boy had a sad expression.
“Are we going to be alright?” He asked.
“Miss Elincia, Captain Kiln, Sir Janus, Ginz, Miss Nasiah, Risha, Firana, Ilya, Wolf, the little ones, and you. All work hard for the orphanage, so I’d say we will be okay,” I replied.
Zaon smiled. “And you, Mister Clarke.”
We found Elincia nervously walking around the front yard when we reached the orphanage. Even the guardsman stationed to guard the manor followed her with worried eyes. I put the burlap bag on Zaon’s arms and jogged forward. Elincia ran to open the iron gate for us.
“I have bad news. I think we should drop from the Stephaniss Tournament,” she said.
I shook my head. The Stephaniss Tournament was instrumental in obtaining the support of the nobility. In a world where levels and classes demonstrate the base value of people, we needed to show the potential of our kids.
“What happened, Eli?” I asked.
“A messenger came. The crowned prince wants all the important noble houses to participate. We will have to compete with the sons and daughters of all the most important noble families of the kingdom,” Elincia’s words stumbled out of her mouth. “The tournament has been postponed four weeks so everyone can arrive.”
I grinned. That was excellent news.