The week continued as normal with me learning ballroom etiquette and ballroom dancing. Fair to say, I was not the best at it but definitely not the worst according to the instructor. The regular lessons and swordsmanship training has me relatively fit both in mind and body which has caused me to lose most of my baby fat now. Every time I look at myself through a mirror I'm impressed by the changes my body has gone through. The callouses on my hands were progressively increasing, but I was adjusting to the pain and discomfort now. They were a symbol of my dedication and perseverance, and I had no need for pretty hands. In terms of missions, I felt that I was getting close to increasing the rank of 'Appraisal', but just needed one last push. 'Swordsmanship' still needed some work, but it was also progressing steadily.
It was the Friday after the visit from Lillia when I received a peculiar item addressed to me. I had just finished my tutoring sessions for the day and was planning on relaxing a bit in my bedroom when Ana came with an envelope in hand.
"Ray, there is a letter for you with the Bach's seal on it. I will leave it here for you as I have other matters to attend to."
She placed the letter on my desk before politely bowing and leaving the room. Intrigued, I picked up the envelope and the Bach's seal was indeed firmly placed on the lip, preventing anyone from opening it. My name wasn't addressed anywhere on the envelope, but this was normal since the messenger delivering the envelope would specify who it was meant for. I tore it open and began to read.
To Ray Glouse,
First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you on your recovery and fair health. I have heard that it was a terrible illness that left you bedridden for many years. I just wished to inform you that I will be attending your ball, and am excited to personally meet you. The Bach family has accepted the invitation, and will be present.
Best regards,
Amelia Bach
I could feel my left eye twitching as I finished reading the letter. It seems another important character has decided to announce their existence to me, and this time it's Amelia Bach, the heir to the Bach family of merchants. I let out a deep sigh as I thought about the letters contents. Amelia was a calculating and capable individual due to her background as the heiress of the Bach conglomerate. Profits and losses were a major part of her character in EOR, but at the crux of things, she deeply cared about her people. She was a beloved character in the series, but if the player made the wrong choices during the game she would end up falling victim to an assassination attempt. Luckily, there wouldn't be anything of that nature this early into the story, but it was a bit unnerving that after Lillia's appearance, Amelia personally reached out to me. I pulled up my profile to check my progress when it came to my stats since I had been keeping a pretty firm regiment when it came to my growth for the past couple of weeks.
{Stats: Ray Glouse}
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Strength: 2.10 -> 2.25
Dexterity: 2.08 -> 2.20
Constitution: 1.77 -> 1.90
Intelligence: 3.30 -> 3.42
Wisdom: 3.30 -> 3.42
Charisma: 5.15 -> 5.20
Luck: 9
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I couldn't help but grin while looking at my progress. Ever since I consumed the growth potion, I had been steadily increasing my stats a bit faster than before. I could already feel the changes within me as my stats improved, especially when it came to my physique. My body's potential had been increased which has fueled its natural growth, slowly making me grow. My parents were even surprised by my steady transformation, and were glad that I seemed to be growing healthily.
My plan for the day was to finish levelling up my appraisal skill by going back to Astro's Antiquities and appraising the items I wasn't able to the last time I visited. I was also curious to see if they had finished with repairing the rings I had given them. None of the servants had delivered them to me, so I might as well drop by and kill two birds with one stone. It was around the estimated time they would be done with repairing them after all.
Since Ana was still busy doing her tasks, I decided to head out on my own. The servants did beg me to bring someone along, but I just shook them off stating that I would only be out for a bit. The summer season was slowly coming to an end as the autumn weather began creeping its way in. The leaves had begun their natural color transformation, creating a beautiful collage of browns, reds, and yellows across the city.
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As I walked through Granbell, the scenery reminded me why I loved autumn the most out of all the seasons. The various colors welled up a strange feeling in me as I stopped and looked around me. There were families happily strolling the streets as vendors were selling their wares. The stores all had traffic coming in and out of them, and the cafes were bustling with activity. Watching all these people enjoying their lives warmed my heart, but at the same time a sense of loneliness was trying to squirm its way inside. Without Ana, I was alone. I had no real friends, and all I had to show off was my family's name. I struggle to use a sword, and I didn't have any amazing abilities after coming over to this world other than TCUG. The downside of TCUG, however, was that I needed to put in an arduous amount of work to level up the skills I copy.
I unconsciously clenched my fists as I wondered. Why was I brought here? Who was the we mentioned when I first woke up in Ray's body? Were the gods of this world responsible for this, or is there something else at play? All these questions began to plague my mind as I sat down on a nearby bench. I had kept myself busy everyday to avoid all these questions, but now that I was free and had no one to impress my walls had come down.
Even after I leave to the Royal Academy, most of the main side characters wouldn't be there. Since the game takes place at the Academia Lux, the characters all had established reasons for not going to the Royal Academy. The main one was that there was simply no need to. The Royal Academy was established with the lower nobles and commoners in mind. Only the best of the best would then move onto the Academia Lux. As a member of the duke's household, I naturally didn't need to go to the Academy and had a guaranteed spot in Lux. The only reason I was adamant about attending was so that I could soak up as much knowledge about this world as I could. Since Ray was bedridden his whole life, his education was zero. Even though I had tutors now, it would just be enough to give me a baseline for the classes I would be taking in the Academy.
The other higher nobles and foreigners would have had their educations started at an early age. Most had a specific talent or talents they could display as well, while I had none. Luckily, the time I spend in the Academy would prepare me enough for the next stage. I could also leverage my nobility and start recruiting followers that could aid me in the future.
I slowly stood up and stretched as my thoughts concluded. If I didn't have a talent, I would work my ass off until I did. It was as simple as that. I gave myself a good slap to the face as I continued walking to Astro's Antiquities. It was a good thing I decided to come alone, I definitely needed some time for myself outside...
As soon as I entered the store, Bella's face came into view behind the counter wearing her uniform. At the sight of me, her eyes lit up as she moved towards me.
"Welcome back dear customer! If you're here for the rings you dropped off, they are just about done. If you give us a couple minutes we can have them out for you."
Bella's explosive energy was quite the surprise, but I just gave her a small chuckle as I looked around the store and started using my 'Appraisal' skill. Since the last time I came, new items had been added to the shelves much to my excitement. The more items I could appraise, means more experience for the skill itself. After a couple of minutes of appraising, the heavenly notification I was waiting for finally came.
Ding ding
[Congratulations Ray, the skill 'Appraisal' has ranked up to D! More information will be added to the items appraised. Continue the good work :D ]
I let out a small chuckle after reading the notification. Nothing crazy happened with the rank up, but it made sense given it was still in a low tier. It would probably receive a new feature once it reached C rank, but I was still content with this much progress. At the same time, Bella had gone inside to retrieve my rings since the repairs had been completed. I walked up to the counter and waited for her return as I enjoyed the sensation of ranking up a skill.
She came back after a bit with a small velvety tray that had both rings on it. She placed the tray on the counter for me to inspect. They had been perfectly preserved and were shining brightly as if to prove they were indeed high value rings. I quickly used my 'Appraisal' skill on the rare ring before letting out a small gasp.
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Item: Young Warrior's Ring
Rarity: Rare
Description: An expertly crafted ring that has been found and carefully repaired. Its beauty and elegance has been allowed to shine through once again, and mana flows through it seamlessly. It seems to have been made for a young warrior given its simplicity.
Properties: When equipped, the following stats will be increased by 0.25: Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
Value: [SKILL LEVEL TOO LOW]
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The added stats were insane for an item I basically got for free. Maybe I should go check out more antique stalls when I get the chance?
"Judging by your reaction, seems like the rings came out better than expected! We do pride ourselves in giving the best service in the industry."
Bella gave me a cheeky smile while saying this, but I was impressed by the quality of the repair. I put the Warrior's Ring on, and immediately felt a surge of energy circulate through my body. I didn't even need to check my stats to know that they had increased.
"Thank you Bella, the rings came out wonderfully. I will be coming back anytime I have anything else that needs to be repaired."
She gives a small chuckle while moving waving her hand.
"No need for the thanks, it's simply our business model to give our customers the best service we can provide. I'm glad you're satisfied with the the quality and we hope to see you again soon!"
I left the store with an extra pep in my step now that I had my first real piece of functional equipment. The only thing left to do today would be to pass by the Silver Bells and check on the status of the commission I made. I began headed that direction when I thought about what to do with the extra ring I had on me. Since it didn't offer any sort of stat bonuses, I had originally thought about selling it. As the heir of the Glouse duchy, however, I wasn't in need of any money. The ring itself was quite beautiful. It was made of high quality silver, and had leaf-like engravings all around it. While walking, I had the idea of giving it to Ana as a gift for her upcoming birthday. Her birthday would be after the ball, so I had to keep it as a surprise until then.
I couldn't help but laugh when I imagined what sort of reaction she might have when receiving the gift. As my bestfriend, she deserves the best of the best for all the things she's done for me. I carefully purchased a box for the ring and some wrappings before heading to the Silver Bells.
{Stats: Ray Glouse}
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Strength: 2.50 (+0.25)
Dexterity: 2.45 (+0.25)
Constitution: 2.15 (+0.25)
Intelligence: 3.42
Wisdom: 3.42
Charisma: 5.20
Luck: 9
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