Back in the present.
“I hate doing this behind my friend's back, but I understand it’s for her own good,” Emma said with a sigh.
“Alright, don’t worry too much about it” Alaric ruffled Emma’s head trying to comfort her.
“So, did you find anything?”
“Yes. The sealed letter bears the insignia of RavenShield. It was sent by Eleanor RavenShield, the wife of Baron Roland.”
“And what does it say?” Alaric asked, leaning in slightly.
“To summarize, it contains information on three different matters.
“First, Madam Eleanor reports that a vast number of demonkin who fled during the cleansing of the Marquiss household have gone missing. It’s very bizarre, so she’s advising Sera to take precautions.
“Second, she provides an update on the progress of sewage systems in other territories.
“Lastly, she includes regular information about various bandit groups, as per Sera’s request.”
Alaric considered this for a moment. “What do you make of it?”
“I understand the first two points,” Emma said thoughtfully. “Considering that Malachi got caught in this territory, Eleanor’s warning makes sense. We don’t have a clear picture of what is going on but, it might be better to increase vigilance for safety. At Least, we need to be careful till Sera returns.”
Alaric nodded.
“And since Sera initiated the sewage system project, the update seems routine.”
“But I don’t understand the third point, why would Sera request regular updates on bandit activity?”
“Isn’t it obvious? She’s probably gathering intelligence to ensure security in our territory.”
“That would make sense if it were just about our territory or the neighboring ones,” Emma agreed. “But Sera’s request covers a vast area, from here all the way to the capital, and includes all possible routes throughout the entire southern region.”
Alaric frowned, “Why would she need such extensive information?”
“I don’t know, there’s no explanation in the letter.”
As they continued to mull over possible explanations, a thought suddenly struck Alaric. “Wait, you said the letter was sealed with an insignia. Won’t Sera notice it’s been tampered with?”
Emma smirked, “I managed to open it without breaking the seal.”
Alaric looked intrigued, “How did you pull that off?”
“At home, when we use candles, the wax drips and hardens, making it tricky to remove. My mother taught me to gently heat the wax to make it pliable again. That got me thinking—since the seals on letters are usually made of wax, I could use the same method.
“So, I practiced a lot at home with wax and paper. Then I tried it with the wax and insignia Sera uses. And guess what? It worked perfectly.”
Alaric’s eyes widened in admiration. “Wow! We’ve got a skilled thief on our hands. Maybe I should take her into my custody.”
Emma shot him a playful glare. “What do you mean by Thief? I just peeked at the contents—I didn’t steal anything.”
“You did, though,” Alaric teased.
Emma raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly did I steal?”
“My heart,” Alaric grinned.
A blush crept up Emma’s cheeks, and she turned her head away. “Glib tongue,” she muttered, trying to maintain her composure.
As Alaric moved closer, Emma pushed him away with a laugh. “Get away from me. I need to reseal the letter. It’s getting late, and Tia’s alone.”
Alaric chuckled, stepping back to give her space.
Emma carefully refolded the letter, slipping it back into its envelope. She picked up the warmed spoon once more and applied gentle heat to the wax seal. The wax softened, and she pressed the seal back into place with her thumb, smoothing it out until it looked untouched.
Then she put the letter in Sera’s drawer.
“There, all done,” Emma sighed in relief.
“Still, Eleanor used the Baron’s insignia for her letters. It seems she holds the real power,” Emma said.
“That was evident during their visit,” Alaric agreed. “It’s reassuring, though, that she’s not abusing her authority.”
Emma nodded.
“It might be for the best. A cowardly Baron would be detrimental to the Raven Shield territory. It is good that there is a capable and loyal wife to take care of him.”
Emma’s expression shifted as she recalled another detail.
“She also mentioned in the letter that Baron Roland has completed something called a reversion process and she is going to attend a party to complete hers. They’ll be attending the magic academy with their daughter in a year and will temporarily leave the territory in the hands of a proxy. She won’t be available to assist Sera for a few years.”
“What is a reversion?”
“I don’t know.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“I wonder what kind of party it is?”
“If they are going to the magic academy, then the power of the RavenShield territory will rise significantly in the future.” Alaric said.
“It’s good that Sera has established strong relations with the neighboring territories.”
“So, what does the other letter say?” Alaric asked.
“It’s from the shrine, I haven’t opened it yet.”
She took the second letter from the table and opened it with the letter opener.
Skimming through it, she said, “This letter seems to have been sent to all the nobles throughout the empire, but we received it late due to our remote location.”
“Huh,” Emma squinted her eyes.
“What is it?” Alaric asked.
“See this.” Emma showed the letter to Alaric.
“It is today’s date.” Alaric, who started to take private lessons from Emma, read the date.
“What does it say?” he asked as he is still not proficient in words.
“It mentions that there’s a lunar eclipse tonight,” Emma said.
They exchanged a look of concern.
As if understanding each other's thoughts, she said, “Since it’s already night and everyone should be indoors, there shouldn’t be any immediate issues.”
“I will go fetch Tia.”
“I’ll inform the guards to stay inside for the next few hours,” Alaric said as he hurried off.
Emma quickly placed the letter into the drawer, closed it, and went on her way to find Tia.
Copyright © [October] [2024] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
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In the corridor, Emma found Tia gazing at the blood-red moon, lost in thought.
Emma sighed, observing the young girl. ‘She must be missing Sera and Vina terribly. Even though she isn’t crying, she seems very lonely. Even if me and Alaric accompany her, she would soon lose herself in thoughts. I hope Sera returns soon.’
Emma approached Tia with a gentle smile. “Tia.”
Startled, Tia turned her attention, “Aunt Emma.”
“What are you thinking so deeply about these days? Is something bothering you?” Emma asked.
Tia hesitated before answering, her voice trembling slightly. “I—I was just thinking about Mom.”
“About Sera?” Emma prompted, hoping to steer the conversation.
Tia pondered for a moment, reluctant to disclose too much, he spoke in a roundabout way.
“You know, Mom has been so busy lately and seems to be carrying a lot of burdens. I feel like I can’t do the things she does. I don’t know how to help her.”
Emma smiled warmly and patted Tia on the head. “Oh, you’re such a thoughtful girl. I hope my future children are as kind and considerate as you are.”
“But thinking that they will be my children, I suppose I can’t hope for much.” she sighed.
“But Tia, you’re still young. It’s natural that you can’t do everything we do. Also, I think you are already helping her a lot.
“Just being there for her, as you are now, means a lot more than you realize.”
“But I still want to help Mom,” Tia said earnestly.
“Then Tia, why don’t you start with something like learning new skills and discovering your talents.”
“T—Talents?”
“Yes.”
“Everyone has a talent—something they’re naturally good at. For instance, Sera excels at governance, Alaric is good at fighting, and Sir Kevin is talented in magic.”
“Similarly, everyone has their own unique abilities. Think about what you’re good at or what you enjoy doing. Why don’t you think of things you can do?”
“Things I can do?”
“Yes. There might be things that only you can do in this world. By discovering your talents and specialties, you can develop new skills. Through these skills, I am sure you will be a great help to Sera in the future.”
“My specialty? Things only I can do? My uniqueness?”
Emma’s words gave a direction to the scattered thoughts of Tia.
Tia’s thoughts began to coalesce.
‘What are my talents? I don’t think I have any special abilities. Is there something unique about me?
‘Is there anything that only I can do in this world? No, I don’t think I am any special.
‘Then, what is my specialty? How am I different from others? What makes me different from others?
‘I am not even from this world.’
“Huh?” Tia’s eyes widened as a realization struck him.
‘Oh, it seems she’s got an idea,’ Emma thought, observing Tia’s expressions and decided to let her think and did not want to cut her flow of thoughts as it might be a breakthrough for her.
‘Yes, I’m different from others because I’m not from this world. I have memories from my previous life and knowledge of an entirely different world.’
Tia sighed, ‘I avoided thinking about my past as much as possible as it makes me recall memories I wish to forget.
‘To begin with, the knowledge I have isn’t anything special. After all, I was just a student with below average grades and most of the knowledge I have is about the stuff I was interested in, that too not in-depth. And various timepass stuff which I learned from the monks.
‘Still, there might be something useful among those memories that can come in handy in the future.
‘But I’ve probably forgotten most of it over the years.’
‘Will my knowledge from the previous world even be useful here, in a world of magic? I don’t even know much about technology.
‘Argh! What should I do?
Emma felt amused watching little Tia’s expression shift from deep thought to surprise, hope to despair, and joy to frustration.
‘Anyway, no matter how trivial the stuff I remember might be, it may come in handy. The first step is to jot down everything I can recall, no matter how insignificant it seems.
‘Argh, if only I could at least remember all the academic stuff in detail.’ Tia screamed in his heart.
‘Haa, it’s funny how useful stuff like academics are easily forgotten and trivial internet stuff is long remembered.’ Tia sighed
‘Also, I can’t use paper to write this down. If Mother and Vina see it, they’ll be suspicious.
‘Think, Tia, think
‘Ah! Yes, I know. I will use the technique that, brother monk taught me for remembering things for exams.’
‘First, I’ll recall all I can from my previous world and use that technique to store them in my mind. I’ll figure out what to do with it later.’
After sorting all his thoughts, Tia looked at Emma who was smiling at him, “Aunt Emma, Thank you.”
“So, did you come up with something?”
“Yes, I have an idea. But I’m not sure if it will be useful.”
“It’s alright. You’re still small and started just now. Take your time.”
Tia nodded.
“Let’s go inside for now,” Emma turned serious.
“Why? It’s not bedtime yet.”
“We should stay inside for today.”
“Why?”
“Today is a lunar eclipse.”
“A lunar eclipse?” Tia asked, puzzled.
“Yes, today is one of the days where the Eclipse moon devours the moon temporarily.”
“??”
“What’s an Eclipse Moon? Is the eclipse bad?” Tia inquired.
“The Eclipse Moon is believed to be the cause of eclipses. There are various types of eclipses, but generally, the light during an eclipse is considered very harmful. It’s said to cause many issues,” Emma explained.
“Especially for pregnant women and children. Exposure to the light during an eclipse is said to cause deficiencies and defects in babies.
“Sometimes, it is also believed that the eclipses could cause some adverse effects to take place in the world.
“So, during an eclipse, everyone stays indoors to avoid the light from the sun and moon.
“After the eclipse, the priests perform various cleansing rituals to remove any negativity.”
Tia’s eyes widened in concern. “Wait, what about mother and Vina? They’re outside!”
“Sera can take care of herself, and Vina is with the priests. They’ll manage. Don’t worry about them,” Emma reassured her.
Tia sighed in relief but remained puzzled.
‘But how will they know that today is an eclipse? Wait, how did Emma find out today is an eclipse? There should not be any satellites to calculate the planetary movement.’ Tia thought.
“Aunt Emma, how did you know today is an eclipse?”
“The shrine sent a letter.”
“How did the shrine know?”
“I don’t know the details, but the shrine sends a letter every year to all the nobles informing various auspicious and inauspicious times for the year. So that they can take precautions during times like this.”
‘But, mom never told me to hide away during eclipses.’ Tia thought. ‘Is it because of our demonic bloodline?’
“Aunt Emma, what about the demonkin?” Tia asked, seeking clarification.
“Demonkin? I don’t know much about them, but the eclipse is considered a crucial time for both priests and dark mages.
“Apparently, any magic practices that are performed during this period will give results in many folds.
“So the activity of dark mages should be very high during this period.
“It’s also believed that if a demonkin is born during an eclipse, they will bring disaster to the world. They’re thought to be particularly cruel and evil.
“Anyway, let’s go inside before the eclipse starts.”
“Okay.” Tia nodded.
Emma and Tia made their way to the bedroom.
Emma shut the doors and drew the curtains tightly to block out any light.
They both settled into bed, preparing for the night.
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Copyright © [October] [2024] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the publisher at [[email protected]].
This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.