A week has passed since Elliot's arrival. In those seven days he's become able to speak fluently, has memorized the entire layout of the village and the names of the villagers, and has made acquaintance with each of them. Overall, his learning speed is monsterous, surprising immensly the Chief and the rest when they consider his state a week earlier.

By this time, Milton had returned to the village to report that there wasn't anything about a missing boy or anything, the neighboring villages were as usual. Considering the lack of information on Elliot's appearance and the lack of options concerning him, it was decided he can stay in the village. Especially considering how quickly he was learning, people enjoyed his inquisitiveness as well as his innocence due to his naivete.

The most thrilled with the decision was Lia, ecstatic to have a friend for her adventures. Elliot himself enjoyed her adventures as well, since exploring with her taught him new things. They formed a friendship quite easily, with Elliot also learning more about relationships such as friends as he had no memory until the day he met Lia. 

When Elliot was not with Lia he was either with Milton, who took an interest in teaching him the sword since Elliot's speed of comphrension was outrageous and found he had reached a proficient level in just a few days, though he was no match for Milton who had over two decades of experience as a soldier, or with the Chief who educated him in academics and the like, as the Chief himself was an educated man. It is thanks to Milton and the Chief that the village has less of the younger generation than other villages, as their education of both battle and the mind give the children the opportunity to go out into the world when they reach the age to do so.

Thus in the week Elliot learned that the village was called Graud which was under the rule of the Lindol Kingdom, the village specifically under the rule of Count Horth. When Chief spoke of Count Horth, disgust freely exposed itself on his face, a far cry from the usual calm and attentive look he usually had. When Elliot asked why Chief made that face when he talked about Count Horth, the Chief told Elliot.

"It's true that due to Milton and I educating the young they leave the village for the bigger world. But that's not the only thing that brings our young men out of the village. That bastard forcefully recruits our boys into his army regularly, taking away their futures and making them serve him as dogs. And if that wasn't enough, every time he does that he demands compensation from us beyond our usual taxes to support his increase in military...."

Elliot listened attentively to those words, nodding his head despite not understanding why Count Horth needed to do those things. A characteristic of Elliot is that being as inquisitive and extraordinary as he is in comphrehending things, when it comes to emotion and desire he struggles to understand it. That is, to Elliot, the complexities of human emotion and the actions that result from it are an incredibly daunting thing. It is to be said though, when he was given the name 'Elliot' from Lia, he felt the emotion happiness. Having no memory, with the gift of an identity he found himself feeling good, with no idea as to why such a thing was so.

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"Why does Count Horth do those things?"

Elliot concluded he couldn't understand Count Horth's actions, unable to imagine the reasons due to his lack of understanding concerning human emotion.

Chief wryly smiled at Elliot, at how his lack of knowledge on emotion ironically made him a pure individual. 'Truly a mysterious boy', he thought.

"I can't say for sure Elliot, it may be a desire for power, wealth, any number of things. But remember, do not taint yourself for your desires. A desire pursued by a tainted individual will itself become twisted as well." 

The Chief sighed.

"That said, things aren't always black and white Elliot. Things that appear evil can in fact be good, and so can it be the other way around. Actions such as killing, by itself is something that should not be done. Yet suchs things as 'to kill so as to save' exist. In the end, we must paint the color of our values of good and evil ourselves."

Elliot nodded once more, not completely understanding Chief's words.

"Ah, let's stop there for today then. By the way Elliot, how are you and Lia doing?"

Confused, Elliot responded after a short pause.

"We're fine...is there something that we're supposed to be doing sir?"

The Chief smiled broadly.

"Ah, no, nothing at all. Just wondering how you two have been getting along, it's been long since Lia had a friend, and at her age to be friends with a rather handsome boy..."

Elliot further found himself confused at the Chief's words, and to his look of confusion the Chief chuckled.

"It's fine Elliot, you'll understand in time as your days go."

At this time Laurette put a delicious smelling pie in front of Elliot.

"Speaking of Lia, could you deliver this to the Murl's for me Elliot? Mrs. Murl shared with me some ingredients and as thanks I made her a pie from a bit of them. If you hurry, you may have enough time to enjoy it with them before it's time to come home." Laurette winked at that last sentence.

Elliot smiled at the prospect of tasting the sweet smelling pie in front of him, and quickly hurried to the Murl's home on the edge of the village.

Lia lived with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Murl. A couple who were well known in the village for their kindness and their energetic daughter. There had been plans for a marriage between Lia and the son of another family in the village, until the son in question was conscripted into Count Horth's army. Since then, out of kindness the Murl's were stricter with their daughter when concerning boys so as to give the other family respect in their time of loss. But that had been many years ago, and the family in question long gave their consent for Lia to be free of any guilt. Thus whenever Elliot came over, Mrs. Murl welcomed him like her own child since a remarkable young man was the friend of her daughter whom she wished to have a reliable husband since the prospects in the village were dry.

Elliot arrived before the Murl's home, slightly larger than the other homes due to the reconstruction efforts of zealous neighbors after the Murl home was damaged in a storm.