Arculous spent the rest of there meeting telling her all that he knew about her other children. Contrary to popular belief, Evia wasn't the creator of ALL monsters. In fact, she had only made half-dozen or so raises. But those had mated and created entirely new raises. And their children evolved with the passage of time. And every so often a hybrid or defect or an unexpected would show up and become there own kind of monster. Of course over time occasionally she'd get inspiration and create a new monster who she then set out into the world. This cycle had continued and thus her family had grown.

Evia thought back to the bore like creature she had encountered in the forest, where she met Alexa. It's lifeless eyes. The monster had seemed more animal than a monster. Not a trace of intelligence. When she asked, Arculous explained that many of the younger generations had such treats. Because of her imprisonment, the children of her monsters produced less and less actual monsters.

" And the kids that do come out with a lick of the actual brain are rebellious and disrespectful. They refuse to recognize your authority and want only to feast on humans." Arculous had said scowling.

Before she left he gave her a dark grey hoodie. It comfortable, but there was no real use for it. But as it turned, out the hoodie was layered with complex shielding magic. It was equivalent to a full plate of armor but was far more comfortable. And the hood had a concealing charm on it so it would hide her face unless she wished to reveal herself.

" I don't want you wasting your magic." Arculous had said.

"It will be gone anyway. I don't see why I can't use it as I please..." Evia mumbled. But she had taken the clothing anyway.

Evia thought about this as she scared through back allies to get back to the inn.

" Not a Chance!" Evia paused and looked around the corner she was just about to turn. Four people stood in dark stretch between two empty buildings. She could see three standing in front of a lone man. Probably the one that had shouted. She looked closely at the man's face and saw that he wasn't a man, but more a boy. The same boy that had been staring at her, at the inn.

The other three seemed much older. They were dressed all in black, but she could easily see that they were fit and well armed. For that matter so was the boy.

" Shhhh," said the leader of the trio. She was a tall woman, whose long hair was tied back in a tight ponytail.

" It's far too risky." The boy hissed back, quieter now.

" Even for the guilds number two assassin?" One of the woman's companions asked. The boy straightened.

" And I've kept that position by not taking on jobs that will get me killed."

He said. The woman jumped in.

" We are not asking you to go in single handily. We'll be doing most of the work. All you would need to do is make sure everything runs smoothly."

The boy huffed exasperatedly. Seeing he was still unconvinced the woman continued.

"She may be a princess, but she is surprisingly unguarded. "

" That's because she's a prodigy at Magic!! Why would someone with so much talent need protection?!?"

" But, she is a mere child. A shy and reserved girl that has been shielded from the world by her doting parents. How hard can a brat like that be to take down."

The boy was careful to keep his face blank but there was a slight twitch that showed that he wasn't completely against the woman's proposal. The woman leaned down and looked at him with pleading eyes.

" And the reward is immense. Enough that even if we split it between the four of us. Each would have a mini fortune."

The boy was definitely interested. After a pause he said.

" Just what might this job entail?"

The woman smiled and said confidently.

" Meet us, at the guild hall at noon tomorrow. We can go over the details then. "

Before the boy could reptile the woman and her two companions had already disappeared.

Interesting. Evia ran over the conversation she had just hear. From what she heard, it sounded like the boy in front of her was the second-ranked assassin among the assassins guild. Evia had known there was something off about him. He was too aware to be a normal human without any skill. It was obvious that the perspective target was Sylvia.

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What treasure have I dug up? She asked herself gleefully. Not only was she aware that there was an assassination plot against the eleven princesses but she had also just found the perfect person to teach her how to fight.

A teacher who was about to leave. Pulling her hood over her head.

"Wait." She called out turning the corner. Intentailaly making her voice deeper and rougher in order to sound more masculine. She didn't want to give away her gender because Evia didn't want to give the boy any clues to her identity.

--------

Eric turned around and saw a scrawny hooded figure come out from behind a building. Instantly he slipped a dagger out of his sleeve. The figure held up there hands in surrender.

" I don't want any trouble." It said. They had the voice of a young male voice.

" Who are you? Who do you work for? How much have you heard?"

The boy's mouth quirked upward.

" So, many questions. I am a simple observer and I happened upon your conversation by mistake. And as for what I heard. I know that you are the second best assassin in the guild and that you and the other three are planning on murdering a princess."

Eric gripped the dagger tighter. The boy new too much he would have to kill him. But the stranger surely would know that was what would come of reviling himself. So why had he done it?

" I want you to be my teacher." said the boy seemingly reading his thoughts. Eric scoffed.

" Teacher? What could you want me to teach you?"

" How to fight." The boy said immediately.

" Teach me to fight and I won't say a word."

Eric pondered this.

" And why should I go through the trouble of teaching you, when I could just kill you now? Then I wouldn't have to worry about you telling anyone." He asked the stranger.

The boy hesitated a moment.

" Because If you took me on as your apprentice, then I would be able to help you with your Jobs. If you killed me, then a lot of people would be mad. And isn't it better to have one friend than a bunch of enemies?"

The boy didn't make the best argument for his case. But his voice seemed to wash over Eric, dulling his mind.

What harm could come of showing the kid a couple tricks?

Maybe, the boy could actually be of so use. He did get lonely every so often. He had his friends from school, but he didn't really have anyone to share this side of his life with. And if things went wrong he could always kill the boy. At his own time and leisure.

Eric nodded to himself.

"Alright. Come to Pins Bakery on Leaf Street at sunrise. I'll meet you there and we can see what you are worth. Chicken out and I'll hunt you down myself and rest assured you'll die very slowly." He gave a menacing glare at the boy before jumping onto a loose brick on the side of one of the walls. And secured to the top of the house.

He began to jump from roof to roof. Until he found, the Manor. He slipped into his bedroom through the window. And changed into a clean white shirt and black suit pants. He was just trying to tame his unruly black hair when there was a knock at the door.

" Enter" He called and the door slid open to revile a maid. She didn't meet his eyes as she said.

" Dinner is ready Sir." He nodded to her and swiftly exited the room.

As he made his way to the dining hall. He passed Serevent which all bowed to him politely. What nonsense. He thought. Back in his own country on Li'an. The nobility did not hold themselves to a higher standard than the help. In fact his father and mother the duke and duchess. Had always made it a point to befriend the help. Always asking about there families and Thanking them when the day's work was done. He and his sister would always bring lemonade to the works in the hot summer months.

But here. They were treated like second-class citizens.

Three people were already seated at the table. On one end, was Lord Naff and his wife. Lord Naff was a warm-hearted man, with a rather large mustache. His wife had a very plain face and sat very straight. But her kind smile brightened her countenance. On the other end of the table, was an empty seat, and to its right was Hanna.

When Hanna saw him, she smiled widely and waved him over. He sat at the head of the table, as he did every night.

" I'm glad you could join us, Eric my boy." Lord Naff said kindly

Hanna and her mother nod in agreement, as servants begin to bring out platers of food. On the table, he noticed an assortment of dishes such as Beef bourguignon, a side of caramelized white peaches next to the foie gras and a spinach souffle.

He watched carefully as each of his dining companions took a bite before he himself did. Though the Naffs seemed nice, he wouldn't put it past anyone to poison the food.

" So, Hanna told me that your kids went to see the entrance exams. Any promising applicants?" Lord Naff asked. Eric smiled politely and shook his head.

" Aside from a couple exceptions, this year's batch isn't nearly as impressive as last years. "

Lord Naff shoved a piece of beef into his mouth.

" Well, a class like your isn't really something you see every day. What with you and Hanna and the princess...."

Eric perked up at the mention of the elf. He thought back to the day's events as the others continued the conversation without him. He thought about the mysterious presence. He had almost forgotten why he had gone out in the first place. His thoughts wondered to the assassins and their plans and then went to the stubborn boy. Who he had agreed to teach despite all sense and reason.

Eric looked out of one of the large windows overlooking the dining hall. Filled with anticipation for the next day.

--------

When Evia, opened the door, to the room she shared with Alexa. She felt someone shift and run towards her. She turned around expecting an attack. But instead, warm arms wrapped around her. Alexa hugged her tight.

“Where were you?” Alexa asked.

“ Out,” Evia answered vaguely. Alexa shook her head against Evia’s shoulder and whispered.

“ You really scared me during the exam. Seeing it explode and not being able to know if you were okay or even alive….” Alexa traded off and she gripped Evia tighter.

“ Please be careful,” Alexa said pulling away slightly. And looked deep into Evia’s eyes. Evia nodded and Alexa smiled warmly and led her back to her bed.