The child was playing in the garden behind the apartment building. His mother left to finish some errands, so he had nobody to play with in the meantime.

As he was drawing some stick figures on the dirt using a stick, he heard someone talking quietly behind the wall of the garden. His curiosity led him to get a ladder and look over the wall. What he found on the other side was a small wooden shack with a girl sitting by the doorway.

“Hm, I have enough to last until tomorrow morning. Looks like I have to work another job at the market,” the girl murmured.

Her clothes looked more like rags, and her long, dark hair was frayed and dirty. Her thin face was smudged with dirt along with the rest of her malnourished body. She was a street urchin.

“Hello! Whatcha' doin'?” the boy shouted.

The girl was startled, causing her to scatter the coins she was counting on her hands.

“No!” the girl cried out as she chased after the coins before they could roll over to some gutter and fall in a sewer.

“Oops, sorry! Didn't mean to startle you! What's your name?”

The girl ignored the boy as she finished retrieving all her coins and put them in her ragged pockets. She glared at the boy and went inside her shack.

“Come on, I was just asking!”

The boy gave up when the girl didn't emerge from her shack. It was just the first time, and the boy had plenty of time to talk with her in the future. Who knew, maybe they could even become friends. The boy returned to the apartment.

●●●

The Year 1222 A.C.

I focused on the piece of cloth placed on the table in front of me. I activated my Authority and exerted control over the fabric with ease. I made it fly around in the room quickly in erratic patterns, giving it an appearance of a bird trapped in the house looking for an exit.

While controlling the first piece of cloth, I exerted my control over nine other pieces of fabrics folded in a pile beside me. I felt heat flowing around inside my body, and the moment I activated my Authority, I felt the heat exiting from me. Each of the pieces of cloth had a width and length of about one foot. I used my Authority on ten fabrics simultaneously, moving them around, each with a different set of pattern.

Their paths looked random and chaotic, but it was actually choreographed such that they won't bump into each other mid-air. I made sure not to accidentally make them fly outside to avoid anyone seeing my power. I hadn't tried controlling fabrics at my maximum range yet, but I knew I could use my Authority at a distance of at least ten meters around me. I knew it since I could feel fabrics using my ‘sense’ up to that distance.

“So, what do you think, Tedd? Impressive, right?”

“What's so impressive about making a bunch of blankets fly around uselessly?”

“I don't know, but I'll find out soon. Maybe I could use my Authority to make a flying carpet. Then we could fly around the world!”

“Now that's impressive. You still can't do it, though.”

“Just you wait, you stupid bear! I swear you're grumpier than Mother Betha all the time.”

I recalled the fabrics back in front of me and folded all of them simultaneously. I put them back in the chest where I got them, which also contained other clothes and garments I used for practice. I didn't want Mom to scold me again for not returning things to where they belonged.

My control over my Authority had tremendously improved over the past three years, and up until now, I still didn't know the maximum strength of it. Mom prohibited me from controlling her clothes after that incident with the panties, so the only things I could practice with were my clothes and some of the fabrics Mom used for sewing.

The most number of fabrics I tried controlling was fifteen, each with a length and width of one foot, which was probably near my limit since it always gave me an intense headache every time I did it. Using my power too much also made my body overheat, a new phenomenon I experienced back when I first started using my Authority on a larger scale. I think the heat I felt was my mana leaving my body, but I had no proof of it yet.

I soon found out that the more fabrics I controlled, the more my control deteriorated over each one. The most fabrics I could move without sacrificing fine control were eight. More than that, and my control suffers tremendously.

So for the past few months, I changed some of my training sessions from trying to control as much fabric as I could to improve my fine control over a single cloth. And the training I thought of was to unwind each weave in a cloth until all I was left with was a bunch of thread.

I began with my daily practice and retrieved one of the pieces of cloth I used earlier. Holding it with both of my hands, I focused on a single corner and activated my Authority. Slowly, the weave in the fabric started unraveling one by one. I felt a headache building up slowly along with fatigue since I didn't rest yet after my earlier practice.

By the time I finished unraveling the weave of the entire cloth, all I was left with were a bunch of tangled thread and an intense migraine. I'm probably low on mana.

A year ago, I finally confirmed my theory that I used mana as fuel for my Authority. I found it out when I saw Mother Betha one time complaining about a headache after healing a bunch of people. I assumed that a headache was one of the symptoms of low mana.

I still had a lot of questions about magic. Where did the mana I replenished come from? Or how could I use my mana to perform magic other than using it for my Authority? I tried asking Mother Betha years ago, but she kept saying that I wasn't ‘ready’ yet. She won't even tell me in what way I'm not ready yet, that old hag!

I heard the back door open as Mom entered with a simple towel wrapped around her body. Her hair was wet as she combed it with her fingers. Looks like she's finally done with taking a bath. Finally.

Every time Mom occupied the bathroom to take a bath, she would take a long time before she finished. That was why I always tried to go to the bathroom first before she could, but she managed to beat me to it today. Judging by the mischievous smile she was showing me right now, she probably did it on purpose.

“Oh hey, sweetie. You haven't taken a bath yet? Sorry, if I knew, I would have let you enter the bathroom first!” Mom took on an innocent expression, batting her eyelashes at me. I glared at her. I used my Authority on a dry towel I sensed by the couch and sent it flying towards her face. It wrapped around her head, causing her to flail around as she tried to remove it.

“Hrmph! Brogen! Stop it!”

“Hehehe…”

I levitated my towel from the bedroom using my power and dashed straight to the bathroom. When I got there, I released my control over the towel on Mom's face and snickered to myself. I could hear Mom through the door, promising revenge on me. Hehe, take that!

●●●

Helen was peeking through the door, watching her son train his power. Brogen trained his Authority every day, never missing a single session. Helen didn't really know what to feel every time she saw her son levitating blankets around the house.

On one hand, she felt proud for seeing her son improve every day, especially when he told her one time that he would use his Authority to protect her from any ‘evil’ that will try to harm her. So cute. On the other hand, she felt nervous about Brogen's future. She knew he wouldn't be able to lead an ordinary life now that he awakened as an Ascendant. Sometimes, she wished he never got the Authority in the first place so they could just live happily in peace.

But deep inside Helen's mind, she had a feeling that her son would become a prominent figure in the future. It wasn't just her ‘proud, doting mother’ side that was telling her that— although it did play a big part— but her rational side also had a similar thought.

Brogen was too smart for his age. It wasn't like the other children prodigies that popped up every now and then in other parts of the kingdom. No, it was almost a genius-level of intelligence. When Brogen was just two years old, he was already speaking fluently like an adult! He could understand the situation happening all around him and acted appropriately just like an adult would. As if he experienced all of it already.

Every time she spoke with her son, it didn't feel like speaking to a child. She sometimes felt like she was talking with a grown man inside a child's body. The only thing that convinced her that her son was still a child was when he played with himself. Brogen had no idea that Helen always kept her eye on him when they were in the house. She would secretly watch him talk with his stuffed bear, witnessing their little ‘adventures’ around the house.

But what really amazed her was when she saw Brogen doing his first ‘tests’ on his Authority. He thought she was asleep during that time since she was injured, but she was actually peeking through the door the entire time. He did check her room before he started, but her sleeping act completely fooled him. Heh, Brogen needs to learn some lessons when it comes to pretending to be asleep.

When Helen saw her son's ‘tests,’ she was reminded of the scholars that once came to Erfeld to do some kind of research about the soil's fertility in the area. Helen didn't really remember what the scholars researched about, but she felt the same vibes from Brogen when he did his ‘tests.’ And this all happened when Brogen was just three years old.

From then on, Helen always watched Brogen in her free time without her son knowing. It wasn't only to observe her son's quirks, but also because she enjoyed watching him. She knew it won't be long before her son grew up.

As she continued to observe his strange behavior, Helen finally accepted the fact that her son could never lead a normal life. Even if he managed to hide his power from the world forever, his mind was a different matter altogether. Minds like the one Brogen had would never be satisfied with a simple life in a small town like Erfeld.

She knew that his power and his intellect would lead to a life full of uncertainty and danger, and it scared Helen. But there's nothing I can do to stop it. The only thing I could do is to fulfill my responsibility as his mother to guide him on his path.

And so, Helen decided to accompany her son with every step of his journey. She would face the same dangers her son would face, and she would stay by his side no matter what happened. Even if the entire world became his enemy. Until such a time that I could no longer keep up. If that time comes, then Brogen would have to face the world on his own, but I know he would never bow down.

Helen looked at her son with a sad smile, then entered the house. “Oh, hey sweetie. You haven't taken a bath yet? Sorry, if I knew, I would have let you enter the bathroom first!”

●●●

After Mom and I got dressed, we locked the house and began our walk to the chapel. Mom had to work at the chapel every day of the week, although her work was usually light on Sundays like today. The Holy Mother Church held its masses on Saturdays and designated Sundays as a rest day.

I was glad that the dating convention in this world was exactly the same as the one used on Earth, although it was one of the few things that I found suspicious ever since I reincarnated. The fact that Mom also had the surname ‘Arte’ was one of those suspicions, but I didn't really pay it too much attention.

Today was Sunday, so we weren't in any rush to go to the chapel as early as possible. As we walked hand-in-hand, we passed by other people doing their daily work. Erfeld was a farming town, so most of the people we saw carried various tools and implements, while some were ushering their beasts of burden to the fields.

Erfeld was considered a small town, but not small enough that people knew almost everybody else by name, so our walk was peaceful as not that many people greeted us. Some people did though, those who recognized Mom as a helper in the chapel. They sometimes asked about me, but Mom always dodged those questions with vague answers and a quick change of topic.

“So, are you ready for your first day of class, sweetie?”

My reverie was interrupted by Mom's nonchalant question. I don't know if my ears are playing with me, but did I just hear the word ‘class?’

“Sorry, what was that, Mom?”

“I said, are you ready for your first day of class?” Mom was looking at me with the biggest shit-eating grin I ever saw on her face. Her hand that was holding mine was shaking as she tried her best not to laugh.

“Wait, you never told me anything about classes!” I shouted indignantly. “I'm not ready yet!”

Am I seriously going to school without any heads-up at all?! I don't even have any learning implements with me!

Mom looked suspiciously at me. “You know what classes are? Where did you learn that, sweetie?”

Shit, I messed up! Mom's gaze felt like it could see my very soul. I immediately tried to think up an excuse without lying.

“Oh, uh, I heard some people talking about it one time. T-They were passing by our house, and I just happened to overhear their conversation.”

Please believe me. Technically, I wasn't lying since I did hear it from other people. Back on Earth, that is.

“Oh, is that so?”

I peered at Mom's face to see if she was still suspicious. She was just smiling while looking ahead. Phew. I need to change the topic quickly before she further questions me.

“So what is this ‘class’ I'm going to attend?” I asked.

“Mother Betha approached me the other day and invited you to attend her Sunday School. Other kids would also be attending, so this is your chance to make friends!”

Mom looked very excited at the prospect of her son making some friends. As for me? Not so much. I didn't really enjoy the experience when it came to socializing. Back when I was in elementary, I was at the top of my class, but the other kids didn't want to make friends with a ‘nerd,’ so I gave up on trying. In high school, my ‘friends’ only approached me every time they needed help with their homework.

Although there were some people that I managed to have good relations with, it didn't really evolve into close friendships. They were more like pleasant acquaintances. Plus, people didn't like to make friends with a gloomy guy like me.

“I think I'll pass on making some friends, Mom. But I do look forward to the lessons!”

After years of stumbling in the dark, I finally have a way of knowing just where the heck I am and what I got myself into. I just hoped that the classes would include general information about this world.

“Why don't you want some friends, sweetie? If you had them, you wouldn't have to play by yourself all day at the house. It will be fun!”

I guess it would be worrying for a mother if her child wanted to be a loner, but I didn't really crave too much social interaction.

“Alright Mom, I'll try. No promises though,” I said. It won't hurt to try, but I wasn't going out of my way to do it earnestly. A few friendly interactions with some of them would be enough, just to satisfy Mom's wishes.

Mom didn't look convinced, but she just accepted everything I said.

●●●

“Behave yourself, okay? If you ever need anything, just find me,” Mom said as she fussed over me right at the entrance of the classroom.

“I'll be fine, Mom, it's just Sunday School.” I glanced at the excited look on Mom's face. I didn't know who was more excited between the two of us about my first class.

“Show them who's the best, sweetie,” Mom told me with a big grin. Oh, I may have misunderstood the reason for Mom's excitement.

I entered the room located on the first floor of the chapel where the Sunday School would be conducted. Before I even entered, I already knew there were five children present thanks to my ability to sense clothes. The moment I closed the door behind me, all their attention suddenly focused on me. This is awkward.

The chairs and tables were arranged in three columns. Every column had five tables and chairs lined up facing the blackboard at the front. Good to know that blackboards and chalks are already invented.

The children already present occupied the chairs at the front of the class, probably talking with each other before a new guy came along.

I silently made my way to a vacant seat at the back of the room, far away from the others. They were likely already familiar with each other, judging by how they were congregated at a single spot.

When I finally took my seat, I focused my eyes on the table in front of me, trying to ignore the glances the other children were sending in my direction. Their stares made me self-conscious, but I did my best to make my face as neutral as possible. I could hear a few whispers being exchanged between them, but I had no idea who was talking. I didn't want to look up and accidentally make eye contact with one of them. Wow, I can't believe how pathetic I'm acting right now. Was I this socially awkward back then?

After a minute of hushed whispers and secret glances, one of the children finally decided to approach me. I sensed his clothes moving towards my position. With my current level of training, I could sense a bit of the contours of people's clothing, which made it easier to judge whether a person was male or female without having to directly look at them. My sense was good enough to judge that the kid approaching me was wearing a simple shirt and trousers, which meant that he was likely a boy. The small bulge I sensed in his crotch also gave it away.

When the boy reached my table, I looked up to see a brown-haired boy with a big smile on his face. His bright eyes and cheerful demeanor gave him a ‘trustworthy’ vibe. His height indicated he was several years older than me, maybe about thirteen years old, and judging by how I saw him leading the conversation between the group of kids earlier, he was probably the ‘leader.’

“Hello!” he said. His voice was slightly high-pitched, although puberty was starting to give it a deeper edge. “I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new in town?”

Before I answered, I glanced at the other children at the front, and I suddenly realized that all of them were way older than me! I was only six, but the ages of the children in front were probably around ten to thirteen years old. I felt like a grade-schooler attending a class in high school.

“Um, not really. I lived here in Erfeld since I was born, this is just the first time I attended Sunday School. I always come here to the chapel with my mom.”

The boy had a very confused look on his face. He was probably wondering why he never saw me yet even once.

I didn't like showing myself to other strangers, so I always hid myself in either Sister Lina's or Sister Tillie's room every time there was a mass being held, so it was almost impossible for the other children to see me even once.

“Really? How come I never saw you before? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Terric,” the boy said.

“I'm Brogen. You probably never saw me since I always stayed in the nuns' rooms while Mom works here.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Terric nodded thoughtfully, but then his eyes widened in surprise. “You can go inside the rooms of the Flowers of Erfeld?!”

“Flowers? What flowers?” I didn't know what Terric was talking about. I looked at the other children and saw that they also had surprised looks. Wait, on second thought, only the boys look surprised.

“Who else do you think deserves the title in all of Erfeld? I'm referring to Sister Lina and Sister Tillie!”

Terric had a dreamy look as his gaze became distant.

“Yeah, no other woman in this town can even come close,” a boy said from the front. He had a chubby appearance. His round face and cheeks were filled with baby fat, and his curly brown hair was cut short.

“There's one woman who could come close to the Flowers, Garin,” the thin boy sitting next to the chubby one said. His tall stature and slightly hunched back gave him a gaunt appearance, and his moderately raspy voice and frowning demeanor completed the look of a gloomy kid.

“Stop joking with me, Ralf,” the chubby boy said. “If you're referring to the baronet's slut of a wife, then she's disqualified. You can't call whores ‘Flowers,’ although I'll admit she has the looks.”

The chubby boy, Garin, looked serious as he nodded to himself and stroked his non-existent beard.

“Garin, watch your words!” Terric shouted. I jumped a bit in my seat at the sudden volume, and one of the girls sitting in front giggled at my reaction.

“What? It's not like the baronet or his wife can hear me. And even if they did, it doesn't make anything I said any less true.” Garin had an indignant look on his face as he crossed his arms.

“I'm not worried about the baronet, you idiot! Watch your words when there are children around!” Terric pointed a finger at my location, and I suddenly found all eyes looking over to me.

“Oh, hehe. Oops.” Garin scratched the back of his head as he looked sheepishly at me. “Sorry about that.”

“I wonder how long you can stay alive with that mouth of yours, Garin,” one of the girls said with a sharp voice. She had her long black hair tied up in a ponytail, and her face was set in a frown.

“You're being overdramatic, Liz,” Garin said. “It's not like anybody would send someone to kill me just because I called the baronet's wife a slut.”

“The baronet might,” a cheerful voice said. A small girl with her red hair tied in pigtails chimed in excitedly, putting her hand over her mouth as if she was about to share a big secret. “There are even rumors that the baronet once killed his own maid years ago because she spoke badly of him.”

“That's probably one of your conspiracy theories again, Maly,” said Liz, the black-haired girl.

“It's true! I'm not making this up!” Maly gave Liz an indignant look. “This rumor has been circulating around town for several years now!”

“Those are just rumors, Maly. You can't expect the baronet to escape with that kind of crime in a small town like this,” Terric said.

“But you can't really brush away those rumors easily,” Garin said. “Not when those bad rumors surrounding the baronet keep cropping up. Rumors don't start themselves unless they're true. Or maybe some parts of it.”

I didn't know who this baronet was, but he was probably one nasty guy. Now that I thought about it, the guards that hurt Mom years ago also worked for the baronet. I'm gonna have to watch out for this guy in the future.

“Anyway, who's this woman you're talking about Ralf?” Garin asked. “The one you said came close to the Flowers?”

“I'm referring to the lady that started working in this chapel many years ago,” Ralf answered. “The one with long dark hair and big round eyes.”

“Oh, that lady! Yeah, now that you said it, she does come very close. Honestly, I think she could even be another Flower.” Garin squinted his eyes while rubbing his chin as he thought. “What was her name again?”

“I think it was Helen.”

At the mention of Mom's name, I immediately straightened in my seat. None of the kids in front of me missed it, and Terric faced me again.

“What's wrong, Brogen?”

“Um, about Helen…”

“Yeah?”

“She's my mother.”

The room was silent for a few seconds, then Garin raised his hand and asked me a question. “Is she looking for a son to adopt? I can volunteer.”

Liz gave him a whack on the head.

“Sorry about talking about your mom like that, Brogen,” Terric said sheepishly. “We just think she's beautiful. The boys in town love to make ranks among the girls on who's the prettiest.”

“And the ‘Flowers of Erfeld’ are the most beautiful?” I asked.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, most boys agree that Sister Tillie and Sister Lina are the best. That's why there are always a lot of men who attend Church gatherings.”

“You're just creeps,” Liz muttered.

“Hey!” Garin shouted indignantly. “Don't talk like the girls don't have their own rankings of the most handsome boys!”

“We don't have something like that,” Liz said with a whip of her hair.

“Oh! Oh! I know that one! I've got the top ten memorized!” Maly chirped excitedly. Garin looked smug as he saw Liz's shocked face.

“Say, Brogen, maybe you can introduce us to your mom sometime?” I looked over to Terric and saw him grinning while moving his eyebrows up and down. If I could reach his head, I would've slapped that grin off his face already, but unfortunately, he was way taller than me.

“My mom doesn't need a thirteen-year-old for a lover,” I said coldly.

Once again, the room was silent as everybody looked at me in shock. The room stayed that way until Ralf cleared his throat.

“I believe that was a rude thing to say to a person you've just met, Terric.” Ralf still had the same frowning look on his face as he admonished Terric, but it looked more admonishing. He may look young, but I bet he was the mature one among the children.

“Um, yeah, sorry. I'm sorry for that, Brogen. I forgot we literally just met a few minutes ago.” Terric apologized to me while scratching his head, then he suddenly frowned. “And I'm fourteen, just wanted to clarify it.”

“It's fine.” He looked sincere, so I just accepted his apology and decided to move on. These kids were probably undergoing puberty and saw every woman as a potential lover. Not like any sane woman would date kids.

“By the way,” Terric turned back to me before he went back to his seat. “How old are you?”

“I'm six,” I replied.

“Bwahaha! You got told off by a six-year-old!” Garin guffawed in his seat, and I saw that even Ralf had a sliver of a smile by the corner of his lips.

“Shut up, Garin! At least I own up to my mistakes, unlike someone who won't admit to stealing my food every lunchtime when I wasn't looking!”

“I don't know who you're talking about,” Garin said innocently.

Just as Terric was about to answer, the door to the room opened and Mother Betha entered, dressed in her white robes. Immediately, everybody sat down and remained quiet. Only the sound of her steps could be heard as Mother Betha made her way to the table at the front.

I almost chuckled as I saw everything play out. I was in another world, but I can't help but feel like I was back in elementary school when the strict teacher entered the class and everybody else sat stock still. I didn't know classes also played out the same way here, but I was happy to see something so nostalgic.

When Mother Betha reached the table at the front, she faced us and looked each of us in the eye. When she saw me, she smiled at me warmly, and I smiled back.

“Good morning class, I'm glad to see everybody is present today. I wouldn't want to repeat myself every time someone missed a session.” Mother Betha looked at Garin with narrowed eyes. “Isn't that right, Garin?”

“Y-Yes, Mother,” Garin replied with a stutter.

“Good. Before we proceed, let us first meet a new student who will be joining us starting today. Brogen, please come here to the front and introduce yourself.”

I got up from my seat, almost tripping in the process since the seat was too high for me. I felt my face heat up a bit as I felt the entire room's attention on me. The short walk to the front of the room felt like ages, and when I finally arrived and faced the other children, my back was slick with sweat.

“G-good morning everyone, my name is Brogen Arte. I look forward to studying together with you.” I tried to think of more things to say, but nothing came to mind. I think that's good enough for an introduction.

When I looked at the children's reactions, all of them had welcoming expressions on their faces. The tension I felt slowly disappeared as I realized that my fellow students weren't going to ostracize me or something.

“Alright, you can sit down Brogen.” Mother Betha gave a pat on my shoulder. “But take a seat closer to the front.”

My face held a grimace as I chose a seat. Terric signaled me to sit next to him, but I bet he would just distract me from the lesson with his constant ramblings, so I pretended that I didn't see him and chose the seat behind Liz. She looked cold and aloof, the perfect person to be near to if I didn't want anybody talking to me. I intended to use this opportunity to learn as much as possible about the world around me as soon as I can, and sitting next to a blabby kid wasn't going to accomplish that.

Liz gave me a short glance as I sat down behind her. It didn't look like she minded, thankfully. A short peek in Terric's direction revealed his pouting face. Sorry kid, but the information I gather here is essential for my future survival.

As I settled in, Mother Betha started scribbling something on the blackboard using a small, odd-shaped chalk. I thought she was drawing some random stuff at first, but then I realized they were symbols. Symbols that I couldn't read. I looked at the children around me in panic. Everybody had a bored expression on their faces, but their eyes followed everything that Mother Betha was writing. I was the only illiterate person in the room. How could I forget?! Just because everybody spoke English doesn't mean the alphabet is also the same as the one back on Earth!

As I panicked silently in my seat, Mother Betha finished what she was writing and turned to face us again. “Alright, before we proceed to our main lesson for today, let's recall our topic last week so Brogen can catch up.” Mother Betha swept her gaze over us and stopped at Garin's face. “Garin, what did we discuss last week?”

Garin stood up in a fluster, his chair making a screeching noise as it scraped along the floor. “U-um, we discussed the Trinitarian Doctrines of the Holy Mother Church.”

“And what's the first one?”

“‘Respect all life.’” Garin's eyes darted around as Mother Betha stared at him as if his answer was wrong.

“Correct,” the pastor said. Garin breathed a sigh of relief, but it turned out he celebrated a bit too early. “Explain.”

Garin choked back a complaint as he started speaking. “The first doctrine states that we should respect everybody, be they man or woman, rich or poor.”

Mother Betha tutted at Garin's answer. “That is not all there is to it, child.” Garin deflated at her words. “The first doctrine encompasses all life. That means it's not limited to humans. Elves, dwarves, gnomes, and other sentient races are included.”

My eyes widened at the mention of other races. Excitement rose up within me as my inner child looked forward to meeting a race other than humans.

Mother Betha continued her explanation. “The first doctrine is also not limited to the sentient races. Animals and plants are also deserving of respect.” Her eyes suddenly took on a strange glint. “Even monsters.”

I gasped in shock at what Mother Betha just said. Mom always told me stories about monsters attacking settlements and massacring entire populations. I looked at the other children, expecting a more intense reaction.

The other children around me only frowned, although Liz's face looked like she really disagreed with Mother Betha. Maybe their reactions were a lot more ‘colorful’ when they first discussed this last week.

“But Mother, monsters are evil! Why do we have to respect those?!” Terric exclaimed as he stood up from his chair.

The other children were quiet, but I noticed the doubt in their eyes as they looked at Mother Betha for an explanation. I never saw a live monster yet, let alone know what they did, but I did understand their reactions to Mother Betha's statement.

“Monsters are neither good nor evil, Terric,” Mother Betha said calmly, although the slight exasperation in her voice told me that they already had this argument. “They are not evil for seeing humans as food for the sake of survival, just like how butchers aren't considered vile as they slaughter livestock.”

“Then are you saying that we shouldn't blame monsters for what they do?” Liz asked with a monotone voice, but I noticed a hint of coldness to it.

“Oh Heavens no, girl. Monsters are definitely to blame for their actions.” Mother Betha chuckled at the children's confused faces. “What I'm saying is that monsters are a part of the world. They are a part of Nature, and Nature Herself shaped them into what they came to be. To designate monsters as evil is the same as declaring Mother Nature Herself to be evil.”

The children's faces still had frowns, but they did not refute Mother Betha any further. Honestly, I thought Mother Betha would scold the children for doubting her words, but seeing her calmly listen to their indignant voices made me see her in a different light. I always thought Mother Betha was the kind of teacher who dictated concepts to children with no questions asked, but thankfully she wasn't.

“Alright,” Mother Betha said. “Let's proceed. Maly, what's the second doctrine and what does it entail?”

Maly stood up eagerly from her seat. “The second doctrine says that we should ‘honor all free will.’ To force our opinions and decisions onto others is the same as taking their freedom for ourselves!”

Mother Betha nodded in satisfaction at Maly. “Well said, Maly. But don't forget that it only applies when a person's free will does not infringe on another's.”

“Oh, I forgot that part…”

“It's fine, just make sure to remember it in the future.” Mother Betha swept her gaze over us again. “Liz, the third doctrine and what it means.”

Liz slowly stood up from her seat, her face a calm facade. “According to the third Trinitarian Doctrine, everybody is saddled with the responsibility to ‘help those who are in need.’ It does not matter who or what they are, they are not exempted from this duty as long as they still draw breath.”

After her short but concise answer, Liz sat back down in her seat as I and the other children watched her in silent awe. There was no doubt Liz would grow up to be a smart lady. And although Liz may look aloof and intimidating, her flushed cheeks betrayed her embarrassment from being admired too much.

“Alright, did you get all that, Brogen?” I was woken up from my musings as Mother Betha looked at me with expectant eyes.

“Y-yes, I did.”

“If that's so, then enumerate the Trinitarian Doctrines in order.” Mother Betha shot me an evil smile. This damn hag…

“Um, the first is to respect everyone and everything. The second is to let other people decide their own actions as long as they don't bother anybody else, and the third is to help those in need.”

I didn't remember all the doctrines word for word, but I did understand the gist of each one. I looked back at Mother Betha with a confident smile.

The pastor just looked at me with exasperated eyes. “That is the biggest simplification of the Trinitarian Doctrines I've ever heard.”

I smiled sheepishly at her.

“But it is correct. What is important is that you embody the teachings in your words and actions.”

I nodded at her and sat down. It was a simple recitation in class, but I can't help but be proud and happy of myself for being able to answer the question correctly.

“Alright, let's now proceed to the main lesson.” Mother Betha turned to the blackboard where she wrote unfamiliar words earlier. “I wrote two topics here, but we can only discuss one with the time we have remaining. All of you will vote on which one we will discuss for today.” Mother Betha turned to me. “Since Brogen can't read yet, I'll read it for you.”

Thank God the old hag actually remembered me.

“The first topic is the geopolitical environment of our Kingdom and our neighbors. The second, the basics of human magic.” Mother Betha turned back to me, grinning as if she already knew which topic I was going to vote.

Honestly, both topics were of interest to me since they were vital for my survival in the future. Choosing one was a hard choice.

The basics of human magic were what I currently needed the most. Knowing the foundations of magic would help tremendously in my training, and the risks I always operated with due to lack of information would lessen greatly. And seeing how there's the word ‘human’ in the topic name, I assume magic works differently for other creatures. But isn't it a bit weird to teach topics about magic to kids? Maybe it's just one of the norms in this world.

On the other hand, knowing the geopolitics of the nation I currently lived in was vital if I intended to evade its government in the future. I would learn how the higher-ups would think and how to exploit their behavior to my advantage.

I looked around me as the other children argued with each other on what topic to vote on.

“Come on, Ralf, magic is way more interesting than politics!” Terric exclaimed to the gaunt child. “This is our only chance to learn something about magic! Mages are so tight-lipped about their magic, there's no way they would teach us about it in the future!”

“Yeah,” Garin agreed beside Terric. “Besides, who cares about how nobles banter and squabble with each other?”

“I do,” Ralf said with his raspy voice. “Politics is the lifeblood of all nations and societies. Learning more about it is more important for me than a magic lesson that I would probably never be able to apply given that I'm not a mage.”

“Yeah, go tell them, Ralf!” Maly piped in cheerfully.

“Maly?! Since when did you ever care about history?!” Terric had an unbelieving look on his face.

“I-I always liked politics, Terric! I just, uh, hid my interest about it.”

“Pssh, you just want to know more about politics than other kids so you could act smart around them,” Garin said with a sneer.

“How did you— I mean, no I don't!” Maly tried to deny Garin's accusation, but the blush on her cheeks gave her away.

Listening to the children's argument easily gave me a brief insight into their personalities and way of thinking. Terric was a kid who probably only concerned himself with stuff he considered ‘cool’ and fun. Meanwhile, Garin was doubtlessly a lazy one who always avoided stuff he deemed boring. Ralf, on the other hand, was a very mature kid who had a more realistic outlook on life. Lastly, Maly was the epitome of an innocent child whose opinion is heavily influenced by others.

The only other child I had no insight on was Liz, who remained quiet in her seat. I don't think she shared with the other children which topic she would vote on. I moved my desk and chair closer to hers and whispered from behind.

“Psst, hey Liz.”

My presence might have been unexpected, because Liz jumped a bit in her seat when I tried speaking to her. Or maybe it was the fact that I was whispering into her ear from behind like a creep.

“What?” Liz hissed back at me as she turned around.

“Oh, um, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,” I said sheepishly.

When Liz realized it was me in the first place, she immediately had a look of regret on her face and replied in a softer voice. “No, it's alright, I was just surprised.”

Nice. Looks like being a young child is finally paying off.

“I just want to know which topic you will vote on.”

“Hm.” Liz contemplated for a bit. “Honestly, none of the topics interests me, so I'll just choose the topic with the most votes.”

If that was the case, then that meant I would technically be the tiebreaker between the two groups.

After a short contemplation, I decided to cast my vote on the basics of human magic. Politics in this world was important too, but I needed information that would help me right now, not several years in the future.

“Okay, thanks for telling me, Liz.”

“No problem,” Liz said with a smile as she patted my head. Looks like the cold girl isn't so cold after all.

“Hey, Brogen!” Terric called. “Which topic are you gonna vote on?”

“I'm gonna go for basics of human magic.”

“Nice!” Garin pumped his fists in the air, while Ralf and Maly looked defeated. Well, only Maly looked defeated. Ralf's gloomy expression didn't change.

“How about you, Liz?”

Liz stared at Terric for a few moments before answering. “I'm going for magic basics too.”

“Hah, do you guys see?” Garin wagged his finger at Ralf and Maly. “Magic would always be more fun than some anecdotes about nobles stroke each other's ego.”

“Hmph!” Maly just crossed her arms in response, pouting as she did so.

“So, have you brats finally decided which topic you like?” Mother Betha piped in from the front.

“Yeah! It's magic all the way!” Terric exclaimed. Everybody who voted for the basics of human magic raised their hands to signify their votes, and Mother Betha nodded.

“Alright, then let's get started.”

Mother Betha erased the list of topics written in chalk using a small rag, scattering chalk dust everywhere. Then she started drawing an outline of the human body from head to toe.

After drawing the outline, she started to draw several interconnecting lines inside the body which looked like a circulatory system. Then she proceeded to draw shaded circles where the heart, brain, and bladder should be. These shaded circles were all connected with each other through the series of interconnecting lines snaking all over the diagram.

“You all better listen closely because I'm not going to repeat myself,” Mother Betha said as she turned around to face us. “Keep in mind that this lesson is only applicable for humans. Other races and monsters have their own system of utilizing magic.”

She gestured to the three shaded circles drawn inside the body diagram. “These circles represent a person's mana reservoirs. This is where most of your mana is stored and is the most vital part when it comes to casting spells. These mana reservoirs are the backbone behind every spell that mages cast, and their purpose is not only to store mana, but to also regulate its flow inside your body. Unfortunately, it is also a mage's greatest weakness.”

“Why?” asked Garin.

“Be patient,” Mother Betha chided. “Each of these reservoirs functions alongside the organs where they reside, namely the brain, heart, and the bladder.” She looked at us with a serious face. “That means if any of the three vital organs is destroyed, either due to combat or disease, the mana reservoir existing alongside it will also cease to function. And all it takes is a single missing mana reservoir to permanently disable a mage from casting magic.”

Everybody, including me, had an astonished look as we digested her words.

“But aren't there two mana reservoirs left?” Terric asked.

“Yes, there are,” Mother Betha said. “But you should note first that all mana reservoirs are all connected with each other through these mana channels.” She gestured to the lines flowing around the body, each connected to a reservoir. “The mana channels in a human body are spread throughout our muscles and organs, but each of them will eventually pass through all three reservoirs. If even a single reservoir malfunctions, the flow of mana inside the body is disrupted, making it impossible for a person to cast magic.”

I raised my hand to ask a question. “Does everybody have mana reservoirs and channels?”

“Yes,” Mother Betha nodded. “Although it is less prominent in ordinary people who can't cast magic, mana reservoirs and channels are still vital for a person's life.”

I furrowed my brows in confusion. What important function does mana perform in the human body? As far as I know, humans on Earth were just fine even with no mana. Assuming that humans in this world had the same biology, they should also be able to survive without mana. Maybe I'm missing something.

Mother Betha continued with her discussion and pointed to the mana channels on the legs. “There are a lot of mana channels in our legs, but they are all connected to the mana reservoir in our bladder. The bladder reservoir acts as a hub for the mana channels in our legs.”

She then gestured to the heart. “Same goes for the heart reservoir. It serves as the hub for the mana channels in our torso and arms.”

Finally, she pointed to the mana reservoir in the brain. “Lastly, our brain reservoir is the hub for mana channels in the brain.”

I raised my hand again.

“Yes, what is it Brogen?”

I stood up awkwardly from my chair and asked my question. “Are the organs the reservoirs themselves, or are the reservoirs a different part altogether?”

The other children also had an inquisitive look as they turned to Mother Betha for an answer.

The Pastor gave me a crooked grin. “A good question, but one I'm afraid I don't have the answer to.” She chuckled at my disappointed face.

“Researchers today still don't know whether the organs themselves function as the reservoirs. That's because every time they cut out an organ where a mana reservoir should be from a corpse,” the children around me scrunched up their faces in disgust, “there are no traces of mana in the organ at all. This led researchers and mages to a theory that the mana reservoirs and channels inside a body aren't actually tangible organs, but ethereal in nature.”

“Um,” Maly raised her hand hesitantly. “What does ethereal mean, Mother?”

“It means they can't be touched, smelled, heard, or seen, child.”

“Then how do they know that they exist in the first place?” Maly continued.

“Because mages could ‘feel’ it. They feel every time they cast magic, and for the more powerful mages, they feel it all the time.”

Maly and the others murmured in amazement.

I bowed my head as I contemplated. My theory that mana is a form of energy coincides with the researchers' theory. If my theory was right, then mana flows through our bodies in the form of energy. But then why does the flow of mana get disrupted when a vital organ is damaged?

“Anyway,” Mother Betha's voice woke me up from my reverie. “Humans still don't know much about how our mana reservoirs and channels work, and it is still being studied by countless researchers. They named all this,” she gestured to the diagram of mana channels and reservoirs, “as the mana circuit of a human body.”

Mother Betha was silent for a moment as we digested the information we just learned, then continued.

“Let's proceed to the next and last part of the discussion.” I focused my attention back on Mother Betha as she drew small arrows beside the mana channels. “These arrows represent the flow of mana inside the channels. If you noticed, they all flow in a single direction inside our bodies.”

“The speed in which our mana flows is vital when casting magic. A weak spell requires a slow mana flow, while a stronger spell needs a faster one.”

Terric raised his hand to ask a question. “How do we control the speed of our mana flow?”

“Simple,” Mother Betha replied. “By willing it.”

Terric had a dubious look on his face. “That's it? Isn't that very easy?”

Mother Betha chuckled at Terric's naivety. “Simple doesn't mean easy, Terric. How are you going to will something to flow faster when you don't even know how to feel your mana flow? The feeling is akin to heat moving around inside your body. When mages manipulate their mana, they do it by calculating the amount of heat they feel inside their body.”

My ears perk up at the mention of heat moving around inside the body. I remembered the heat I always felt leaving my body whenever I used my Authority on a larger scale. So that was mana, huh? Wait, doesn't that mean I could finally start casting magic since I could ‘feel’ mana?!

“Why do we need a faster mana flow for stronger spells?” I asked, a tinge of excitement creeping into my voice.

“In order for mana to exit the body, a mana flow is required.” Mother Betha gave me an inquisitive look. I think she knew that I could feel mana already because of my Authority.

“Our bodies always emit mana because of the constant mana flow inside our bodies. By increasing the speed, more mana is emitted, and mages use this emitted mana to shape their spells. More powerful spells require more emitted mana.”

Mother Betha gave me a knowing look. “Only mages who have undergone training can do this, so don't ever try it at home.” Mother Betha was talking to all of us, but her gaze was centered on me. Then she smirked. “Not like any of you can do it anyway, none of you passed the magic aptitude test.”

Is that a challenge? Is that a challenge, old hag?! Oh, the challenge is on!

I gave her a confident smile, one that she responded to by calling me out to recite.

“Brogen,” Mother Betha called me with a grin. “What do you think are the repercussions when an untrained mage tried to cast magic without guidance from a mentor?”

“U-um, a backlash caused by mana?”

“Correct, but that is a big understatement.” Mother Betha looked at the rest of us with a serious face, her earlier grin gone.

“The mildest repercussions include headaches and nausea. Novices who lose control of their mana flow often suffer severe burns and organ damage due to the intense heat, but fortunately, those are treatable with healing magic. But in the worst cases…”

All of our focus was trained on Mother Betha's face, gulping in anticipation and a hint of fear. I, who intended to disobey and try magic at home anyway, felt my back become clammy with sweat.

“In the worst cases, limbs and organs explode violently, instantly killing the caster.” The pastor looked at us in the eye one by one as she continued. “Beginners who have nobody to guide and supervise them and are still arrogant enough to think they can cast magic are the usual victims. Speeding up your mana flow while regulating it at the same time is not as easy as it seems. The speed of every ounce of mana inside your body must be one and the same. If mana in one part of your channel is moving even just a tiny bit faster than the one in front of it, it would start accumulating as it flows, gathering into a large clump of mana just like how a snowball would grow bigger as it rolls down a slope.”

My skin shivered as I immediately realized the implications.

“And when the clump of mana finally reaches a mana reservoir,” I heard Liz gulp quietly in front of me, “then you better hope nobody is standing beside you, because the blast would instantly obliterate them, along with your body. Or whatever is left of it.”

The room was silent for a while, the other children digesting the words they just heard. As for me, I suddenly found myself nervous. Before the class, I thought that learning magic would just consist of repetitively casting spells until I got the hang of it, but it looked like I was severely mistaken. One mistake and I would doom myself and Mom. The thought of Mom dying because of me sent a shiver down my spine.

But now that I had a better understanding of the basics of magic, I now know how to be extra cautious when trying to train by myself.

From what I understood of Mother Betha's explanation, a mana channel was like a highway filled with cars. If every car on the highway moved at the same speed and direction, then none of the cars would ever suffer a collision, even if each car only has an inch of distance between its neighbors. But what if a truck at the back of the highway suddenly picked up speed? Like a bulldozer, the truck would collide with the cars in front of it. Assuming the truck didn't slow, more cars would soon pile up in front of the truck until all that was left was a huge pile of wreckage.

“Not that I'm complaining, but why did you teach us the basics of magic even though we're not mages, Mother?” Garin asked.

“The common person still has the chance to become a mage even if he or she was not born with enough mana to cast magic,” Mother Betha answered. “In some people, the minuscule amount of mana in their bodies increases when they reach a certain age, although these cases are rare. A more common phenomenon is when people gain the potential to cast magic when they experience an event that triggers intense emotions, like traumatic events.”

“So the Church teaches the basics of magic to help those people?” Maly asked.

“Not necessarily,” Mother Betha answered with a chuckle. “The Holy Mother Church teaches this topic to persuade future mages, preferably healers, to work in service to the Holy Mother. After all, we offer free lessons about healing magic for a low price of five years of service, while other magic institutions would cost you hundreds, sometimes even thousands of gold.”

The children's eyes almost looked like they would pop out of their sockets at the mention of gold.

“At least hundreds of gold?!” Terric exclaimed.

“That's enough to buy our farmland more than ten times over!” Garrin said with an incredulous face.

“Full-fledged mages don't give their lessons cheaply. Those old foggies would sooner chop their own hands off than give away their knowledge for a paltry sum,” Mother Betha said, then her face took on a look I could compare with a car salesman. “But in the Church, we give lessons about healing magic for free, and healers who finish our lessons are almost always secured a job.”

Wow, I did not expect Mother Betha to be capable of advertising like a saleswoman. With her mischievous nature, I expected her to be more like a scammer.

This tactic to recruit talents was actually pretty impressive. Not only were they collecting talented people, but also turning them into followers. Five years of service in the Church would definitely be enough time to slowly convince even the most stalwart of atheists to at least think about joining the faith.

Somebody knocked on the door, and Sister Lina's head peeked in. I saw Terric and Garin gasp and stare at the nun with dreamy eyes.

“Excuse me, Mother, it's almost midday,” Sister Lina said with a quiet voice. Then she saw me and gave me a sweet smile. “Oh hey, Brogy! Enjoying Sunday School?” I could almost feel Terric's and Garin's jealous stares behind my back.

“Ahem! Thank you for informing me, Sister Lina. You can go back to your duties.” Mother Betha glared at the nun as Sister Lina bashfully closed the door and went back to whatever she was doing.

“Alright, today's session is now finished. The next session will be at the same time next week. You are all dismissed. You can stay in the chapel, but none of you are allowed to loiter around the altar.”

With a small satisfied nod, Mother Betha exited the room. The moment she left, Terric put his arm around me. “Brogen! I didn't know you were close with Sister Lina. Want to come with us? We're gonna help with whatever chore the nuns are doing right now.”

I looked over and saw Terric, Garin, and Ralf looking at me. I understood Garin wanting to spend as much time as possible with the nuns, but Ralf? That was unexpected. Looks like even a mature kid like him can have a childhood crush.

“Sorry, but I'm gonna go find my Mom after this,” I replied. I saw the boys looking at each other before silently nodding.

“Alright,” Terric said with a large grin. “Then I'll guess we'll come with you. We'll help your mother instead.”

I suddenly realized what their motives were, and I looked at them with suspicion. “No, there's no need. I can help my mother all by myself.”

“We can't let a young kid like you toil away on his lonesome.” Terric gave me a pat on the back. “Don't worry, we're diligent workers, and your mother will have her work finished even before the sun sets.”

I was about to reject them again, but I realized Mom would have an easier time if she had more helpers, so I decided to acquiesce. And it's not like Mom would mind young kids trying to flirt with her. She would just see them as cute kids vying for attention.

“Oh, alright,” I finally said.

“Oh, I wanna come too!” Maly chimed in from the side. Then she turned to me. “Hey, Brogen! I'm Maly, nice to meet you!”

“I'm Garin, don't forget it!”

“My name is Ralf.”

They introduced themselves to me one by one as my mind tried to keep up with the fact that I just made friends. I looked over to the side, where Liz was standing. She seemed to hesitate whether she should introduce herself too.

To save her from embarrassment, I decided to call her first. “Hey, Liz! Do you want to come too?”

Liz's eyes widened for a bit, then nodded with a small smile.

I led the children to the chapel's garden. I was excited at the thought of introducing friends to Mom, something I wasn't able to do in my past life. Hehe, I can't wait to show off my friends to Tedd someday. Wait, they consider me their friend, right?