I woke up to the sound of applause. Before I knew what was happening, I straightened on my chair and started clapping too. Did I fall asleep during a graduation ceremony? Suddenly, the kitchen exploded in laughter. I blinked repeatedly until my eyes regained focus. Half a dozen orphans dressed in multicolor pajamas watched me with mischievous expressions.

“Alright, pretty funny. Laugh all you want, you critters,” I said as I rubbed my eyes and tried to align my spine. It seemed I was too old to sleep on a hard wooden chair. My neck was killing me.

Elincia playfully ruffled my hair.

“We were giving Ilya a round of applause for her birthday,” she said with a not at all innocent voice. Despite last night’s incident, she was in a great mood.

I looked around for Ilya to wish her a happy birthday, but then I noticed that the girl wasn’t even in the kitchen. Elincia giggled and kissed the top of my head. They had gotten me good.

“Go wash your face, my love. You have to be presentable for Ilya’s birthday party,” Elincia said.

“Isn’t it too early to start the celebration?” I asked.

“It’s called birthday and not birth-afternoon for a reason,” she replied, prompting a round of laughter from the kids. “I thought a Scholar would understand the nuance of the matter.”

The kids scrambled, laughing, and started preparing the table for breakfast.

“Partying all day? Count me in. In fact, I think I can outparty every one of you,” I replied, joining the festive atmosphere. Elincia raised an eyebrow. I ignored what kind of reputation Scholars had, but I doubt it was one related to partying.

Shu instantly jumped forward. “Nobody likes parties more than me! I could party every day!”

“Oh, yeah? I could party every day and every night!” I replied.

“No, you are too old for that!”

“Stop it, you two. Mister Clarke has to get ready, and you, little miss, must help with the breakfast.”

After a quick ‘Yes, Miss Elincia’, I collected my investigation notes and put them away before an orphan could tip a mug of milk over them. The small colored light stones were nowhere to be found. Elincia probably grabbed them before the kids could find them. I kissed her shoulder and grabbed a water basin with me.

I quickly made myself presentable and grabbed the Cooldown Bow and a brand-new quiver with a dozen arrows. Ginz had applied a quick layer of varnish over the dark wood, giving it a beautiful sheen. It was perfect.

As I was leaving my room, I stumbled upon Firana. Despite being well past dawn, the girl was barely awake, grumbling with each step. Yesterday’s training had been intense, and Firana had given it all.

“Good morning, Firana. Have you seen Ilya?” I greeted her.

Firana gently headbutted my chest as a good morning greeting. She stayed still for a moment, and for an instant, I feared she had fallen asleep. Without saying a word, she dragged her feet towards the shared room of the younger orphans and opened the door. After taking a quick peek, she looked back at me and shook her head as she grumbled something along the lines of ‘No Ilya here’.

I knocked on Ilya’s room despite her sleeping with the little ones every night, but she was not there either.

“Do you need help, Mister Clarke?” Firana asked with a raspy voice. She stood outside the kids’ shared bedroom, almost falling asleep.

“I’ll look for Ilya. You could grab the kids who are still sleeping and take them to the kitchen,” I replied, just to quickly add. “Without falling asleep.”

Firana grumbled once again and shuffled into the kid's room.

My next stop was Ginz’s bedroom. I knocked on the door, and he invited me inside. Ginz was dressed in a long yellow and beige nightgown with a nightcap in the same tones. My instinct told me it was a ‘good’ pajamas for Farcrest standard, but that didn’t make it any less funny. The craftsman was hunched over the small desk, examining the enchanted pebbles.

One less mystery.

Despite Elincia not wanting anything work-related in the sleeping quarters, half of Ginz’s tools and works in progress were stored in his room. I suspected he worked past bedtime every night to keep up with the noble’s orders. I wondered if we should get Ginz an official apprentice or two.

“Where did you get these? Can I use them?” Ginz asked before I could say anything.

“Sure, pal,” I replied. He was so excited that I couldn’t just say no. “Have you seen Ilya?”

“She was going to the grove earlier this morning,” Ginz replied before focusing on his work table.

I decided not to interrupt his creative process and exited the manor. Ilya’s steps left a trail on the dew-covered grass, leading me deep into the grove. I pulled my jacket’s neck up to protect myself from the cold wind. The kids rarely ventured far from the warm kitchen as the days became harsher, not because they didn’t want to, but because Elincia said so.

I walked along the wall for a minute until I found Ilya sitting cross-legged in front of Mr. Lowell’s grave. She was meditating.

“Hello,” I greeted.

“Good morning, Mister Clarke. I didn’t hear you arriving,” she replied.

I didn’t expect Ilya to be there.

“I was just visiting Mr. Lowell and meditating,” she explained.

“Did you meet him?” I asked, sitting next to her.

As far as I remember, Ilya had arrived at the orphanage when she was almost a newborn. Ilya and Zaon had spent all their lives in the manor. They never met their parents.

“If you don’t want to talk about it…”

Ilya shook her head. “I remember Mr. Lowell. He was the tallest person in the orphanage. Taller than Risha even. I always thought he was a retired soldier because his hands were huge and coarse. Imagine my shock when Elin— Miss Elincia told me he was an Alchemist.”

It was hard to conceive that Ilya and Elincia had been fellow orphans once. I knew it already; Elincia was only ten years old when Ilya arrived at the orphanage, and during the next six years, they had been under the care of Mr. Lowell. I wondered why Ilya didn’t treat Elincia as her older sister and instead treated her as the Governess.

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“I remember I was scared when Mr. Lowell died. I thought the manor was going to crumble over our heads. But it didn’t. Risha stepped forward and took care of everything,” Ilya said. “He used to sleep with us in the shared room.”

“That’s why you sleep with the little kids?” I asked.

Ilya nodded. It was hard to ignore the fact she admired Risha. I perfectly understood her feelings. When I was little, I went from being alone with my mother to having a loving father in less than a year.

“I thought Elincia had been the one who had taken the leadership,” I said.

“At the beginning, Elincia was an awful caretaker. She didn’t have patience for little kids or household chores. An Alchemist is expected to know how to mix ingredients, but her cooking was abysmal. Ginz… well, Ginz was Ginz, and Astrid was anything but a people person.” Ilya laughed as she reminisced about the past. “For the first couple years, Risha carried the orphanage on his shoulders until the rest could somewhat adjust to their roles.”

Despite knowing Elincia’s past as a problem child, it was hard not to picture her as a caring governess. I made a mental note to avoid mentioning her beginning as an awful cook. I could see her taking away my spice benefits as revenge. I was deeply interested in Elincia’s first days as a governess, but as much as I wanted to know everything about her, I would rather not bring back hurtful memories.

“Do you not resent him for leaving?” I asked. Unlike Elincia, Ilya didn’t seem to hold a grudge against Risha.

Ilya gave me a tired smile. “I know it sounds stupid, but I trust Risha; I’m sure he had a good reason to leave. I want to trust my gut. You know the saying, it’s easier to move mountains than win a gnome’s trust.”

“Is that really a saying?” I asked.

“Maybe? I trust like four people: Mr. Lowell, Elincia, Risha, and you. No one else.”

“What about Zaon?”

“He’s been making great progress. I might start trusting him by the end of the year,” Ilya said with a mischievous smile.

Ilya’s laughter dispelled my concerns.

“Elincia said she was going to make you a cake, so I decided to get a gift too,” I said, extending the bow towards her. “Happy birthday, Ilya. I hope you can become a Hunter.”

Ilya grabbed the bow in disbelief and examined it. I ignored what the birthday customs were in this world, but Firana was thrilled with her enchanted cape. Ilya’s eyes shone as her hands went over the dark wood. She tested the draw weight before nodding approvingly.

“It’s a magic bow,” I explained.

“I’m not a kid anymore! I know enchanted bows are rare and expensive.”

“Try to aim for that old pile of wood,” I said, pointing at the pile of rubble by the wall’s corner, more than a hundred meters from us. It was a big target, even considering the great distance in between.

“I don’t think this bow has enough draw to reach that,” Ilya said.

“Hold the string back for ten seconds before shooting. Only aim slightly higher. It’s more powerful than it seems,” I replied.

“The arrow will fall before reaching the last tree.”

“Trust me.”

Ilya grabbed a single arrow from the quiver and raised the bow. I tried not to smile. Elincia had been experimenting with the bow; a ten-second charge was enough for the arrow to cover a hundred meters in a straight line before dropping. Testing the limits of the Cooldown Bow in the orphanage’s grounds was dangerous, considering the potential distance it could cover. Limit testing would have to wait until a trip to the city's outskirts.

“Shoot!”

Ilya let the string go. The arrow covered the distance in less than a heartbeat, lodging itself in a rotten beam and making a satisfying sound. The girl turned around, confused.

“It’s an enchanted bow!” She shrieked, ramming into my stomach and putting his arms around me.

“You’re not a kid anymore. You can have a magic bow now. Just remember this is a dangerous tool. The longer you pull the string, the stronger the shot will be,” I said, glad that Ilya was the one interested in archery instead of Firana.

“I’ll be careful,” Ilya stepped back, flustered. “Should I have it, though? Miss Elincia is a better archer than me.”

“It’s yours. End of the discussion,” I said as I shook my head. “Shall we return to the manor, or do you want to shoot some more?”

“I’ll shoot one more. We still have to get my class,” Ilya replied.

The ‘one more’ turned into a dozen shots before we returned to the manor’s kitchen. When Ilya entered, she was greeted with a warm round of applause. One by one, the kids approached Ilya and kissed her once on each cheek, then Ginz, and finally Elincia. After the greetings, Ilya was guided towards the head of the table. A bowl of oatmeal, a mug with warm milk sweetened with honey, and a plate of dried fruits were put before her, almost as if she were a queen being served by their loyal subjects.

“First time participating in a birthday party?” Elincia asked, noticing my confused expression.

“Should I treat Ilya as a noble lady too?” I replied with a question myself.

Elincia gave me a gorgeous smile and dragged me inside the kitchen.

“Today is Ilya’s last day as a kid. Tomorrow, she will have to carry her own weight, like the rest of us. Today is the last day we can properly pamper her.”

It made sense. Receiving a class resulted in a significant ‘power spike’. A level one Alchemist was expected to start gathering ingredients and experimenting with their first low-grade potions and remedies. In the same way, a level one Soldier had their first tools to defeat monsters and become stronger.

“What are birthday parties like in your world?” Elincia asked as we served breakfast to the rest of the kids.

“The guests sing out-of-tune while the birthday person sits awkwardly. Then we eat cake and tasty food,” I replied, serving warm milk to the younger kids.

“Getting together with family and friends to eat special food. It doesn't get too much different from that, uh?” Elincia pointed out.

Before I could reply, Zaon entered the kitchen carrying a small harp in one hand and a round, violin-like instrument with a long neck and three double strings in the other. Elincia grabbed the strange instrument while Ginz grabbed the harp. Of all the possible activities, I didn’t expect live music.

A moment later, a jolly song that reminded me of the bright, warm sun and eternal wheatfields filled the kitchen. The kids dragged the second table to the side and set up a dance floor. Ilya clapped at the song's rhythm as the kids laughed and danced.

Elincia and Ginz played in perfect coordination. There was no hint those two hadn’t talked to each other in years. I leaned against the kitchen counter and watched Elincia play. Her hands skillfully moved over the strings, producing crisp and cheerful notes. For a moment, I got lost in her elegant beauty.

“Mister Clarke? Do you want to dance with me?” the girl said embarrassedly, interrupting my trance.

I smiled, wondering if she was genuinely embarrassed or just trying to guilt-trip me.

“I warn you, I’m a terrific dancer,” I said.

“Loki says I’m the best dancer it has seen,” Shu replied defiantly.

I grabbed Shu’s hand and let her guide me towards the dance floor. I exchanged a glance with Elincia, and she bit her lip, trying to suppress a smile. I was telling the truth about my dancing skills. My mother loved to dance, but my father despised it. Consequently, it fell upon me to join my mother in her dance classes.

I gave a quick look at the other dancers; the steps weren’t tricky.

I grabbed Shu’s hands, and we swayed at the quick pace of the music. The song’s pace changed every few minutes, and we exchanged partners. Even the instruments changed hands after a while. Wolf played the mini cello while Zaon played the harp.

The party slowed down a couple of hours later, and we started preparing lunch. The kitchen counter was packed with all kinds of ingredients. Meats, vegetables, lard, spices, cheeses, wine, eggs, and a worryingly large pile of potatoes. Luckily, we had a lot of little helpers.

The kids forbid Ilya from moving from her seat, so she looked at us with uneasy hands.

I was so focused on preparing the feast that I didn’t notice when the door opened and Corin entered the kitchen. The girl greeted Ilya with a double kiss before approaching me. With her courier uniform and dependable expression, I almost forgot she was the same age as my class.

“I’m glad you decided to come. You arrived just in time; we haven’t eaten cake yet,” I greeted.

Then I noticed the sweat beads covering her forehead; she must’ve sprinted her way into the orphanage.

“I bring a message from the Great Hall,” Corin said. “The Marquis wishes to meet Master Clarke and his team right now.”