Ember groggily opened her eyes to see Rowan staring down at her with an excited grin. "Time to get up!"

Ember pushed his face away but she didn't go back to sleep. She couldn't. Today was the first day of her training. After spending most of yesterday being poked and prodded, the priests had registered her as having one confirmed ability and two unconfirmed abilities. It was decided that she would have to go to the Merclen temple to have the other abilities confirmed. Despite not finding any trickery, the priests didn't have the authority to confirm abilities that even the orb couldn't see. Since the temple in the capital was higher in authority, they would have to approve it. The priests were also planning to have someone from the capital check the knowledge orb just in case.

For the most part, the situation wasn't a problem. It actually kept her abilities hidden. The only issue was that she wouldn't be ranked until her other abilities were confirmed in the capital. Again, this wasn't too much of a problem since it helped to give her independence. It did mean she wouldn't be accepted into magic schools or have the benefits that having a rank provided.

In the end, it was a huge weight off her shoulders. She could now use her abilities publicly, at least part of them. As to the rest, she had an idea regarding that but she wanted to wait a while to see how things panned out.

Another good thing that came out of yesterday's events was that she was able to skip her appointment at the research facility. Her mother sent an acolyte to notify them about her delays with registration and that another appointment would be scheduled at a later date. If she had her way, she would simply avoid them until her family moved out of the temple.

Besides, she had more important things to think about. Today would be her first day of training with Knight Vantosia. Rowan would also be joining her. She had found out from Rowan that yesterday he had spent the day doing different exercises instead of learning any sword techniques. Knight Garrick had explained it was to gauge his level and so Ember figured she would be going through something similar.

The two hurried to get dressed and have breakfast before making their way to the entrance hall. There, Knight Garrick was waiting for them and gestured for them to follow him as they left the temple.

"Where are we going?" Ember asked, curious.

"We had to rent out a training area since we can't use the temple's. We can't interrupt their training schedule."

Ember nodded as the three of them continued their trek through the city until they reached a hall located a few yards from the poorer district. The trio went inside and right away, Ember realized they were in a mercenary hall. It was a mismatched group of men and women, clearly rough around the edges. A few people looked them over though most of their attention was focused on Knight Garrick.

Garrick didn't give them a second glance and instead walked through another door that opened to the training yard.

There stood Knight Vantosia, waiting for them. As soon as he saw them, he barked out an order. "Run laps around the yard until I tell you to stop."

The pair starred in surprise but Ember quickly recovered and began running. A moment later, she heard Rowan behind her. Her brother quickly sped past her but Ember kept at a set pace, making sure to push it to more than a jog since she was sure Vantosia was serious about her running.

Rowan ran three laps before he started to lag and after his fourth lap, Van called him over and directed him to Garrick. Ember managed to complete eight laps before she was called over by Van though she was heavily panting by the time she reached him. She was definitely out of shape, especially since she had the physical advantage of being a Seedling.

"What weapons can you use?"

"Most hand-to-hand weapons."

"Details."

"Sword, shield, dagger, axe, mace, spear, and staff," Ember said.

"Can you use them without using Mally?"

Ember hesitated. She could but she knew it would be strange since she had implied that Mally helped her learn to fight. Of course, that had been a lie. It was knowledge from her previous lives that had taught her. She could pretend to be a beginner but it would be a waste and she needed to improve.

"I think so," she said, letting her voice sound hesitant.

Knight Van nodded and pointed to a rack filled with training weapons. It mostly had wooden swords and spears. Since the training hall was owned by a mercenary group most of the people who trained there would be sharpening their skills with weapons they were already familiar with so there wouldn't be the variety that a place dedicated to training would have.

"Grab a training weapon and attack the pole." Knight Van gestured to one of three beaten-up wooden poles that stood to the left of the open field.

Ember nodded and decided to start with a sword. Finding a training weapon that wasn't too heavy and worked with her height was a little difficult but she found one that wasn't too awkward. Taking the weapon, she walked to the pole and immediately moved into a fighting stance. Then she lunged with the sword, whacking the pole with her blade in a flurry of strikes and slashes.

She attacked the pole for a good five minutes before Knight Van told her to stop and she switched to the spear. Instead of attacking the pole, she instead did some open-air thrusts.

"Enough," Knight Van said, calling the demonstration to a halt.

Ember stopped and to her surprise she found herself panting slightly. She frowned. The attacks hadn't been too strenuous, especially compared to the fights she had with Welks or the blood leeches. When she thought about it, she realized she had spent most of the time using magic in her fight with Welks, and with the blood leeches the adrenaline and her father carrying around probably negated most of the stamina lost.

"It's clear you need to train your body before I can teach you any techniques. Going forward we'll be focused on building your stamina and strength." Knight Van turned to Garrick. "Knight Garrick, Maiden Ember will join your training."

"That works for me."

Ember sighed. She couldn't help feeling disappointed but she knew what Knight Van said was true. She turned to join Knight Garrick and Rowan but Vantosia stopped her.

"You'll start your training tomorrow. First, there are a few things we need to discuss."

Ember nodded and waited for Vantosia to explain.

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"I have a schedule planned for you but I know you are taking lessons with a mage."

"Oh," Ember said and paused. If she kept up the pretense of working with a mage then she would have more time to practice magic on her own but if she admitted to not having training with the mage it was likely that Vantosia might assign her a magic tutor.

Her gaze drifted to Knight Garrick. The thought of learning to use lightning was too much of a temptation to let it slip away.

"I am no longer under her tutelage."

Knight Van looked surprised. "Why is that?"

"When I accepted your sponsorship that ended the relationship with the mage."

Knight Van frowned but he nodded in acceptance. She was glad he hadn't decided to use his truth ability on her since that was definitely a half-truth.

"I'll look into finding you a tutor but it might have to wait until we get to the capital."

Ember blinked in surprise. "We're going to the capital?"

Knight Van looked at her in confusion. "Yes. That's where I'm stationed and as your sponsor, you'll have to go with me."

Ember gaped and then silently swore at her stupidity. She had been so focused on setting boundaries around the royalty and everything else she had completely forgotten that she would need to move to the capital once she accepted Knight Van as her sponsor.

"When are we expected to leave?" Ember asked warily.

"That is undetermined at the moment. The Count has requested our help with catching Acolyte Meri's kidnapper, so we have decided to stay to do so or until Prince Liam calls me back."

Ember let out a sigh of relief when she heard that.

"You seem reluctant to leave," Knight Van said.

"My father..."

Knight Van looked thoughtful and then nodded. "I understand." Instead of saying anything else, Knight Van turned and gestured for Ember to follow him.

Ember couldn't help feeling disappointed that Vantosia hadn't offered to help her free her father. She knew that even as her sponsor he wasn't required to handle the issue. He had promised to protect her family but it was only with the clause of if they were innocent. Her father was innocent but he had attacked a guard which was enough for Lord Felis to hold him.

She sighed but reassured herself. She had a plan and it was something she would be able to do without Vantosia's help. Feeling a little better, she continued following Vantosia as he led them out of the mercenary hall, leaving Rowan and Knight Garrick behind. The pair continued walking through the city until they reached the guard barracks near the east wall.

They stopped in front of a guardhouse next to the barracks. Vantosia turned to Ember. "The city guard has requested your help after discovering your involvement in saving Meri. I want you to work with them so you can get a better handle on your Finder Keeper's ability. How deeply you wish to get involved with the guard I leave up to you. Whatever you decide, you will have to work around your training schedule."

Ember looked at Van in surprise. She expected him to dictate a set schedule and have her follow it but that he was giving her this sort of leeway showed he wasn't as inflexible as she thought. He had been making compromises for her since the beginning and she was only now realizing it. Maybe her encounters with the Vantosia Crusaders in her past life had clouded her judgment.

"Okay."

"I already talked to the guard so you can go from here. Return to the temple once you are finished and report to me."

Ember nodded her head. "Yes, sir."

Vantosia smiled at her response and then walked away, leaving her to handle the rest. A part of her wondered if this was a test. Even if it was, she would use it to her advantage. Gathering herself, Ember made her way into the guardhouse.

Inside, two guards stood behind a counter talking while another guard spoke with a man bound in shackles. Ember went up to the counter causing the guards to fall silent.

"Can I help you, little girl?" One of the guards asked.

Ember grimaced at the form of address but plastered a smile on her face. "Knight Vantosia sent me here. I'm supposed to speak with someone about helping."

Both of the guards stared at her and one finally spoke up. "Is this a joke?"

Ember looked at the man confused. "What?"

The guard looked above her, searching around but when he didn't see anyone else, his attention turned back to her.

"Are you saying you're the person who helped rescue the girl from the kidnapper?"

"Yes," Ember said, not bothering to explain how she had helped.

"Seriously? You're a kid."

Ember couldn't help the wave of annoyance. "I'm aware of my age or have you decided you don't want my help after all."

The guard opened his mouth but the one next to him elbowed him in the side. "Stop it, Henry." He turned to Ember. "I'll get the lieutenant. Can I have your name?"

"Maiden Ember."

The man nodded and entered a door behind the counter. Henry, on the other hand, stared at her. Ember glared back and the man grinned.

"You really saved that girl?"

Deciding not to draw too much more attention than she already had, she decided to downplay her involvement. "Yes, but I wasn't alone."

"Figured as much," the guard said, smugly. "There isn't much a kid can do."

Ember ignored him. The guard kept talking but Ember pretended not to hear him. She got the feeling she was going to run into a lot of people who would look down on her because of her age.

After what felt like an eternity, the guard returned with his lieutenant. When the man saw her there was a moment of confusion. "Who are you?"

"I'm Maiden Ember. Knight Vantosia said you requested my help."

The lieutenant scowled but nodded. "Follow me."

The man turned around, not waiting for Ember to catch up to his long strides. Ember felt herself growing more and more annoyed by the situation. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

Once they reached his office, the lieutenant sat down behind his desk and stared at her. "When I spoke to Knight Vantosia, I was informed you were pivotal in finding the kidnapped girl. I have to say, this is a little hard for me to believe given your age but since Knight Vantosia has vouched for you I can only accept that it is true. So given that information, you must have an interesting ability."

"I do. It is a mapping skill that allows me to find things, including people."

A flicker of interest shone in the man's eyes. "Show me."

"Finder," Ember said and the map appeared.

The lieutenant stood up and walked over to Ember, looking over the map as he did. "How does it work?"

"I ask Finder to find an item and it'll show its location on the map. I cannot already know where the item is in order to find it. Also, when it comes to people. I have to know their name to find them. I can't find people based on descriptions. It also has to be a real name and not a nickname."

"That is restrictive but still useful. What about items?"

"I can find anything but it has to be very specific or several items will show up."

The lieutenant nodded his head. "That would indeed be useful."

He paused. "We're looking for a location..." He trailed off as Ember shook her head.

"I can't find locations I haven't been to. I believe that's the exploration part of my map. I have to explore an area to see it on my map. I can still find an item even if I haven't been to the location, just the location will look blank on my map."

The lieutenant looked disappointed but nodded. "Despite the limitations, I think we can still use your ability."

Ember nodded her head. "I imagine it would be useful in cases of theft and kidnappings."

"Yes and other things."

Ember looked at him curiously.

"Knight Vantosia has notified me that he would like you to work a minimum of 5 hours a week for the guard, but he has informed me that you can work longer as long as it doesn't affect your training."

"That's correct."

"Are you interested in working more than that?"

"It depends on the compensation."

The lieutenant looked surprised and then shook his head. "Aren't you here to gain experience?"

"I am but the guard isn't the only way to gain experience. I'm sure Monster Hunters would also find my skills useful." She let that sink in.

The lieutenant frowned.

Before he could say more, Ember continued. "Of course, working with the guard is my first choice. I want to help the people in the city after all."

The lieutenant relaxed at that but there was a wariness in his gaze. "How much are you looking for in compensation?"

Ember grinned.