The Director sighed.

"Nobody has made me wait in what?... three, four years maybe?" she said, her aura dying down, allowing Lariel to breathe again.

An awkward silence settled itself upon the nicely decorated office for thirty seconds.

Lariel looked at the Director during that time. She was young. Younger even than her assistant. If I had to guess... I would probably say around twenty-five maybe? Depends on her Vitality.

The life expectancy of someone drastically changed depending on their stats, and they could keep on looking in their young twenties or thirties while already having over fifty years old. Such was the effect that Vitality had on your body.

The Director was a small brown-eyed redhead. She could easily pass as being a teenager if she really put her heart into it, but nonetheless, she was merciless to those that were under her and defied her. She had received the leadership on the orphanage as an inheritance, and she had been at the front of it ever since she had become sixteen.

Despite not making any drastic changes, the orphanage grew in size and overall quality after it left her parent's hands, and was in fact, still growing in both aspects until this day. Lariel knew that due to experience, but also because some of the kids that had been equal time under both leaderships noticed a substantial difference.

"Don't just stand there. Sit!" Kela demanded, to which Lariel happily obliged. He hadn't even noticed the chair that was right in front of the desk due to all that had happened in the short span of time since he had entered the office.

This is nicer than the last time... Lairel wondered too himself. He had been in this same situation: sitting in front of the Director on another occasion. Namely, when he had finished a fight that was happening in the canteen one year before. He hadn't even started it. The two idiots fighting just wandered to his spot while discussing with their fists and knocked down his plate. He wouldn't have been so bothered as to beat both of them if he had managed to get more food, but on that specific day it was a special type of meal and all the remaining children had vacuumed all the food to themselves.

In a fit of anger, he had squashed both of them and had sent them both to the local healer. It wasn't hard at all since they were both two years younger than him. But unlike what he had expected, which was for the two of them to be punished, they got treats because they were still technically kids and he got an ear full from the Director along with two weeks of dishwashing service.

Now, he was back again, but for unknown reasons to him.

I just hope I don't need to clean dishes again... Everyone that worked in the kitchen was always last to eat, and as such, ate the worst food from all the choices provided to the children. It was always cold, tasteless, and mostly dry due to the long time that always went by before it was eaten after it was made.

Lariel shuddered at the thought of eating such an excuse of the concept of food and made himself sit straight. His back cracked once, but the feeling was pleasant instead of the pain he irregularly received from stretching.

The Director's eyes seemed to focus on him in an almost predatory glace when she heard his back crack, but she quickly went back to only staring.

"It as came to me that you are now a probationary silver plate carrier," she started with a hard voice.

Lariel feared what was there to come. Will she force me to work under her? Force me to join a team? To give up on my earning? Or will she banish me for not making any contributions to the orphanage?

He was scared. She had made the fact that Lariel had said probationary rank seem bad, which was a feat all by itself.

"Congratulations on that achievement," she said after a small silent moment.

What? Lariel looked deadpan at her like what she had said was the most absurd thing one could say, which was not that far-fetched. Is she congratulating me? That can't be. She must have something for me and is trying to get me on her good side to ease the fact that she is forcing me to do it.

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Lariel was no conspiracy theorist, but this just seemed fishy. You didnt congratulate people for their achievements. You always expect-

Wait... You DO congratulate people when they do something nice... he realized. Maybe she is just being ni- "Naaaaah like that is ever gonna happen," he accidentally said.

"What's going to happen?" came the answer from the Director.

Oh fuck. Lariel's face instantly became white as snow.

I did not just say that! Maybe she didn't hear it, was his rational line of thought. Of course, she fucking heard it! She even answered you, you halfwit! his consciousness replied.

"The sun!" he remembered. "The sun exploding will never happen... ha... ha..." he completed awkwardly, trying to fix his earlier mistake.

The director looked at him, doubt present in her eyes.

Oh now! She's on to me! Lariel was honestly afraid. For all the power he had gained in these few days, the Director was still more powerful than him and could squash him like a potato.

Maybe if I use the Unbreakable Will of The God of Power to knock her out?... What the fuck am I thinking? She would overpower my willpower like a kid killing ants... Stay focused Lariel. Stay focused and stay strong.

Lariel mustered all his strength and lifted his head, locking eyes with the Director...

Less than a second after, his eyes were staring at the floor beneath his feet, defeat permeated his being.

"Alright..." the Director said after seeing Lariel go back to look at the floor. "I just wanted to say how happy I am for you, and how good of an opportunity this is to the orphanage. Having someone come from here and become a stell plate adventurer, albeit a probationary one, is a great honor and chance for advertisement," she continued. "I am proud of you, and I expect to hear nothing but greatness about your future endeavors."

Lariel stood silent, processing all the information that Kela, the Director, had just supplied him with.

"Wait," he said. "You are not going to punish me?" he asked, surprise noticeable in his voice.

"Why the hell would I punish you?" Kela replied, slamming her hands against her desk and getting up in a jump. Lariel swore he heard a crack from the desk upon the impact of her hands with the woody material.

They stood like that for a couple of seconds, Lariel staring at her in surprise with his head cocked to the side and the Director with her hands on the desk, supporting her standing body. She eventually seemed to realize what she had done and quickly excused herself and settled down on her chair, calmly placing her elbows on her desk and joining her hands together in front of her chin, giving off a professional look.

"You did nothing deserving of punishment," she said, followed by a pause in which Lariel regained control of his body and corrected his posture to a more not so surprised one. "At least that I know of..."

Lariel quickly went to try and avoid any sort of punishment that he might invoke through not responding.

"Of course I haven't. Not a chance. You can ask your pup- helper, Jake, and he will confirm that" he said.

The Director for her turn just sneered.

"That boy isn't my helper. He is more of an errand boy than anything else. And apparently, he didnt convey the fact that I requested your presence here well enough. I will have him punished for that."

Lariel didnt want anyone to get punished. Especially for his fault.

"He actually informed me, perfectly mam," he said in his defense. The Director's answer came fast and direct like she had expected him to say that. Maybe she did...

"Then why didnt you come here immediately like told by him?" her aura appeared again and made pressure upon Lariel. Not as strong as when he had entered her office, but still, strong enough to remember him of her power.

Maybe I should throw the blame on him... No! I must admit my mistakes.

"I... I... Usually when I... when I come to your office you always... make me wait," that last part was said almost like a whisper. It would be inaudible to many, but the Director picked it up, and the pressure increased in turn.

"I do NOT make you wait on purpose!" she claimed angrily. "I am only busy! And you must wait for me to finish the work directed to me!... With NO complaints!... Understood?!" she said.

Lariel tried to seem smaller in order to evoke pity from his executioner. Unfortunately for him, it didnt work.

"Yes, mam..." he said quietly.

"UNDERSTOOD?!"

"Yes, mam!" he replied in a military manner.

"Very well. You may now go do whatever. As long as you don't sully the image of the orphanage you will have no complaints from me," she said, reclining against her chair.

Lariel got up from his chair and walked towards the door, soon opening it to see the secretary scribbling furiously on some paper on the other side of the desk. Just before he closed the door behind him, he was able to hear the Director speak.

"Good luck Lariel... I do not think we will be seeing each other in the near future."

After that, Lariel quickly moved himself in order to leave the orphanage. He still wanted to go to the library after all, and the sooner he did so, the better.

The more knowledge he had, the better he could perform on his path to greatness.