“Linda, take the bed beside me, on the right.” I gestured at the bed on the other two sides, as I began issuing out instructions. “You two take the beds on my left. We will rotate out two people per patrol, split counter clockwise for one, clockwise for the other. We will do morning and night shifts. Any questions?”

Linda hand eased up before seeing the two guards already clearing the cot away from their location. She lowered her hand and began moving her cot up against the wall. Jumping when a bug dropped down from between the thin mattress lining. She looked at me while I was using magic to throw the cot out the door and place down a more fitting bed on a stone platform.

Then she looked at the guards who had also used magic to move the cot away and artifact to raise the ground up and place their beds on it from their storage. 

She clicked her tongue before stepping back and moving the bed with a tendril of magic, pulling the spare out of her storage ring and raising the ground beneath.

I stopped paying attention to her and began setting up my area with a dresser, a curtain that ringed around the sleeping area and bug net that laid across the top. I added an enchanted tub that would be filled with water upon twisting the crystal knob and a writing desk. 

At last, I pulled out four cards throwing them at the four abstract walls of my little bed-away. Forming a barrier that would keep out unwanted guests.

I began doing my own form of scouting. 

Sitting on the bed, I sent  my conscious out to become aware of which expert is hiding in the shadows. At first, I didn’t pick up hints of anyone above the master level except the fourth years. Though that didn’t discourage me, it just meant this person is good at hiding.

Sadly, what I thought was hiding was in reality just him being another man bored with his post. He seemed to exist in that one good building. As I watched him over a four day period, the man made it his priority to sleep with a certain woman every day.

However, he was merely a knight and wasn’t much of a threat to me.

On the sixth day, I went out patrolling. Happening to stumble across an interesting argument about a lost face mask.

“Fuck, the heat is killing me worse than the fucking dust is.” a random miner complained upon coming off his shift.

“If you were your damn mask like I told you, the dust wouldn’t bother you at all.” sounds like his superior.

“Boss, I told you, I lost it. I think it was knocked off my face during that minor earthquake.”

“That was two fucking weeks go ago. Why haven’t you bought a new one?”

“Boss, I’m broke. Where would I find money for all that shit? Do you expect me to rob someone with all the security personnel roaming around?”

“How can you be broke when you  got paid yesterday? Your first choice should have been to go buy a mask and goggles for twenty silvers, which isn’t your whole check. It’s barely a small peg.”

“Boss, come on. You know I have debts. I can’t afford to waste a single scent or my daughter and son will get it. Eckk” he did throat slicing motion.

The boss threw his hands up and left the retard.

But that wasn’t what interested me. 

At first, I think I ignored this because I was focused on stealing spatial ore but realized that the local merchants weren’t getting it from this particular mine. They had to be trading it for something else. 

I digress, what I am looking at now is a kind of playground. Two wooden pillars with a metal stake at the top and rope tied to down below. There was a piece of board attached to the end of the ropes.

All together, this looked like a recipe for disaster but I watched kids sit down and kick off. Swinging back and forth with a look of bragging joy as they acquired high altitudes compared to the person before them. Some would even jump off at the highest point and perform acrobatic tricks.  

However, this wasn’t the only fun thing I noticed kids playing with. There were two sand castles facing each other with flags on top. Bigger kids would play what I thought was capture the flag but touching a person, times them out for a few seconds before they could move again.

The castles, themselves, were actually quite big and the windows had slides leading down or handholds that you could climb up.

It’s a nifty way to train little rebellious soldiers all said.

However, this still didn’t grab my attention. No, there was this little brunette girl sitting on a bench watching other kids play. I noticed that this was her routine, sit and watch. Sometimes she would bring a book but the other kids would pick on her and knock it out her hand. Thus some days she only sat and watched. 

The thing that struck me as off, was that there were several adult females watching these kids bully this little skinny girl. Yeah, she isn’t cute or adorable, but she is still a little precious angel, right?

Even if you didn’t take that into consideration, she is a resource. If she was smart, she could become someone of stature in official duties. If she isn’t smart, she still has her body, no? She could serve in unofficial duties as stress relief or menial labor. 

What I am getting at, is that I see potential in her that I didn’t necessarily see in others. What potential? Endurance is a quality of a good dog. Solitude is a good quality for an ambitious character.Though, she had a magical aptitude that I very much approve of. It wasn’t exactly high and if you had to compare her to someone around me.

Then she wouldn't even be Linda's match but above Sybell easily. This is a quality that I don’t wish to waste, actually I don’t like wasting resources at all.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

I walk over to a stall to buy steam buns filled with some kind of meat and vegetables. I tried it before and while the bread is plain, the meat is marinated in pretty tasty sauce. 

I swagger over to the girl and drop down beside her, placing the tray of steam buns upon my leg closest to her.

I knew when I took a bite that the smell of the meat drifted over to her nose. Even though she scooted away, she didn’t stop glancing at the food.

“Do you want one? If so, grab one. Don’t worry about whether your hands are clean or not.” I said, while using my mana to separate a portion of the steam buns. Three on one side of the plate and nine on my side.

She hesitated with several long looks before reaching a hand over. Small white hand with just a hint of grey around the fingernails. She picked up the steam bun and quickly brought it back to bite into it.

Her eyes quivered and though she took small bites, it was multiple small bites while partial chewing and swallowing.

I ate in silence slowly while listening to the finger smacking and heavy breathing. When she finished her three, she leaned back and continued watching the kids play.

I wonder if she will speak first or I will.

Minutes passed by, turning into hours. When the mothers came to collect their children, I noticed the majority of them came from the brothel, that one good building.

The girl’s mother came two hours later. She looked at me with such a wary expression but I didn’t understand why. 

You could tell by my clothes that I was of different breed than the others customers she might have provided services to.. None of the Nobles dare step foot in such an unclean place.

Ignoring that fact, both mother and daughter were skinny with sunken cheeks and eyes that made one pity them like you would pity a dog from afar.

I stood up and left as the mother approached closer, returning to the tent area they provided us and began my meditation. 

Next morning, even though it wasn’t my turn to patrol, I walked out the park to see the girl sitting with a book. I bought a different type of meal this time.

Pancake wrapped sausage that looked similar to a hot dog but had some kind of yellow sauce covering it. I bought six and walked to the girl, before taking my usual seat. 

“Let’s trade, two of these for your book. I’ll give it back when you are finished eating.” I suggested.

The girl looked at the food and then placed the book between us. I passed over two of the pancake sausages and flipped through the book.

A fairy tale about a girl transforming from a commoner into a knight who hunts dragons and slays injustices. What an interesting pick?

I checked through my storage ring for an empty book before drafting a story, evolving it around a basic meditation chant that could help awaken the mana inside the girl. I had the main character practice it quite often, twice a day.

When the girl finished eating, I noticed she was receiving a lot of jealous looks from some of the children either on the swing, playing in the sand, randomly sitting somewhere talking, or playing capture the flag.

However, she acted as if she didn’t see such looks as she ate. When her belly was full, she reached for her book but I dropped mine on top.

“Why don’t you read this one instead?” 

She looked at the crisp green cover before picking it up. Her little fingers worked to not stain the white sheets causing me to laugh. 

They were magical. 

She wouldn’t have to worry about it ripping or tearing, getting stained or wet. It would always be in its perfect conditions for a decade.

I didn’t expect her to become engrossed in the story. I highly doubted my storytelling skills were that amazing but I noticed quickly that this little runt was incredibly smart.

She was already chanting under her breath.

Such a waste of resources.

With a flick of my wrist, a golden circle appeared under her and essences of the world flowed towards her that much faster. 

Sadly,after realizing she was purely taking in metal essences, an adaption became necessary. I allowed her to practice while I ate and observed the other kids. Though I found a rough gem, I wasn’t exactly looking to collect yet.

Sometimes, it was best for others to ask you for help then to continually provide assistance. Otherwise it create a sense of reliance in them that would in turned turn them into worthless baggages,

Just as night came, the parents began picking up their kids. I glanced at my side kick and noticed that she had a silver gleam spreading across her bare skin.

Already awakened and seems to be a knight. 

If she was a magus, then there would appear a vortex above her head that would have sucked in the metal essences and formed a magical organ in her body. It could be considered like a beast core for when a magus dies, the organ hardens into a crystalline object. 

I secretly changed the story to include training methods on utilizing the little bit of mana she accumulated after becoming an apprentice rank knight. 

I left before her mother could see me and the next morning, I was considering not showing up. But the young girl surprised me by walking into the forest.

This in itself wasn’t surprising.

What was, was the fact she was trying to fight the wildlife found within.

As I watched her, I felt that she had some talent to cultivate. She didn’t do anything overly ambitious, like hunt wolves, but she did manage to capture rabbits and squirrels.

How did she know how to track them? I have no idea.

She would bend down, stare at the ground and walk in a circle before heading into a direction. Then followed a trail, sometimes backtracking as if she lost it.

She sat far away from the rabbit hole and waited for hours before one showed up. A flash of metallic light and blood would splurt up. 

While her aiming was bad, she still managed to pin the rabbit down by shooting through its paw or ear.

Poor little fucker’s ears were a huge target for her. 

As for squirrels, she found their nest in tree holes or whatever they were called and sent a few needles in. if there were no squeaks, she would proceed to the next one. So by the time she left, she had captured a rabbit and four squirrels.

She would carry it into the little hobble town and sell it to a guy who didn’t even scam the little girl. 

Must have been a fucking saint in his previous life.

With that reward from selling the easy quarry, the girl would buy food and wobble to her shack. 

I noticed quite a few unsavory looking people following but after getting rid of the rift raft, I turned my attention back to a little protege in the making.

I sparred with Linda over the next week while watching a carp transformed into a water snake. It was adorable watching her hunt the wildlife and turn it into food and rent. Watching her mother quit her job as Brothel worker as she began to fatten up, though it was obvious she wasn’t very popular to begin with.

By the time the mission was over, the girl was looking for me at the park each morning and night. It wasn’t until the morning when we were ready to board the ship that I appeared in front of the girl.

“What is your choice?” I asked for clarification.

The girl jumped and turned to me, her eyes looked conflicted as she bowed to me.

“Thank you, benefactor, for giving me a chance to improve my life, but I can’t take you as master.” She sounded nervous but sure.

I clicked my tongue and left. 

Sometimes investments didn’t come through.

I reappeared on the boat and stretched out in our cabin. 

Time to return to boring lessons again.