Elder Gregory’s office was the opposite of what Alaric had been expecting.

From the lavish gold and richwood door, his mind had already started to cook up a world unlike anything close to an office, filled with otherworldly items of the old Seeker’s amusement, Cabinets of magical items, a few aether crystals, enchanted orbs and perhaps a few swords, plenty of magnificent tapestries along with several other rarities that he lacked the mind to imagine.

How he managed to fill his imagination with items he’d never seen was beyond him… but he was high on expectation… only to go still and stiff with outright disappointment.

‘Not even a silver disk to stare into precious memories?’ he wondered.

[Where did you get that idea?] Alia raised a mental brow at her master.

Alaric pondered this for a moment… [I don’t know. It seemed right.]

Shaking his head, he returned to the odd simplicity that came with an office whose door was adorned in gold. The old man’s office had barely anything in it.

There was a table made of rich hardwood, a quill set aside in an ink pot and lots of rolls of parchment containing information he still needed to attend to.

“So much parchment,” Alaric mumbled.

“Ah, yes. The Tower does like to spoil its people. I have been asking them to redirect funding to procure cheaper paper for non-official use.

They are afraid the Tower will lose face if we endorse such a cheap plant-based product.

In any case, a Seeker’s life is that of a minimalist. We need few distractions if we ever hope to produce another Oracle,” the man explained.

‘Minimalist?’ Alaric thought to himself.

[Someone who likes to keep things simple. This room has far too little for the Master of the Tower] Alia replied.

Alaric had heard little about what being a Seeker was all about. For starters, it was in the name. They were Seekers of knowledge… but how one became an Oracle remained a mystery to him.

“You wanted to talk?” Alaric urged the man.

“Someone’s in a hurry,” the man raised a brow at him.

“I sensed bloodlust from a few aspirants. I apologize for being hasty but we really have to get going,” Alaric replied, barely containing his patience. Among the reasons he wanted to leave quickly was to reduce the time his enemies would take to prepare whatever traps they had in mind for him.

The old man’s lips parted slightly as his old wise eyes lit up in wonder, “I’m sorry but I was told you’re an orphan from the Five Hills under Marla’s care.”

“Yes, I am.”

“I see…” he rubbed his beard, “Did you perhaps sense these individuals with your Inborn Ability?”

“No, my Ability has nothing to do with it,” Alaric answered, hiding his subtle irritation.

Why all the questions?

[Calm down, Alaric.] Alia admonished the boy.

Hearing her warning, he breathed deeply, “I used magic.”

Elder Gregory swallowed, “You can use Search magic already?”

“My guardian taught me,” Alaric answered.

The man’s eyes opened wider, “Wow! That’s impressive… How about this?

I’ll assign you a few guards to make sure you make it back to the Five Hills in one piece. Is that enough to buy some of your time?”

“Isn’t that too much trouble for a mere aspirant?” Alaric raised a brow at the man.

“Not when I get to make good friends with said aspirant. You see, one of the perks of being Master of this Tower is that you get to talk to promising aspirants when they’ve just been appraised.

Should I deem an aspirant too valuable to let go of, I’ll do my best to aid them… in exchange for a favour, of course,” the man explained.

“A favour?”

“Yes. If it won’t be too much trouble, I would like to offer you the opportunity of having the Eastern Tower of Seekers as your patron,” the man offered.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Finn’s jaw dropped, “P-Patronage!”

“That’s a big offer,” Darla finally commented, her face flushing with more emotion than she usually let on.

Alaric had only heard of things like this from the stories they received through letters of orphans that had gone on to the Guardian Academy and other walks of life.

Gaining patronage of the great Houses and powerful organizations was one of the most secure ways to become successful.

If Alaric were to accept this offer, he would have the backing of the Tower of Seekers. The same Tower that was entrusted with appraising the children of the whole Eastern region of the Valerian continent.

The same Tower that was home to powerful Slayers and housed the largest gathering of knowledge in the whole of East Valeria.

The same Tower whose architecture boggled his mind to no end… and as a bonus, the same Tower that had trouble purchasing cheap merchandise.

Alaric wouldn’t be some no-name orphan with an S-class guardian anymore.

It all seemed too good to be true.

“What’s in it for you?” Alaric asked.

Elder Gregory took a deep breath, “I won’t mince words. What we get from being your patron is your power. That’s why any organisation would suggest backing a youngster such as yourself.

We’ll cater for your well-being and resolve bureaucratic issues that start to get out of hand… but you’ll also lend us your power whenever we call for it.”

Alaric walked around the office and let his eyes wander onto the small shelf of books the man allowed himself to have in this small office.

Each leather-bound book looked expensive and rare. The titles engraved into the covers were just as imposing.

Alaric read five titles and felt a cold shiver run down his spine before he decided against perusing through the rest of the book titles.

“What happens if I decline?”

“We’ll still offer you the security you need to get back to the Five Hills. But from then onwards, you’ll be on your own,” the man explained.

‘I’ve been on my own pretty much my whole life,’ Alaric thought to himself.

[You’ve lived at the orphanage your whole life with me, Thom and an entire family around you. There is a difference] his guardian, Alia corrected.

‘Right…’ Alaric sighed. Without his family, Alaric doubted he’d be here in the first place. Sister Marla and the children at the orphanage had done so much for him that he couldn’t imagine living without them.

He couldn’t stay there forever, though. Now that he’d been appraised with an S-class guardian, Alaric was going to have to join the Guardian Academy and become a Slayer which meant leaving the Five Hills.

“I need time to think about it. I also need to know everything that’s required of me if I’m to accept this patronage,” Alaric replied.

The old man leaned back in his seat again and rubbed his temples. Alaric couldn’t tell what he was thinking but the lines of stress on his brow made him want to smirk.

[Look who’s getting cocky!] his guardian chuckled.

Before Alaric could answer the guardian’s words, Elder Gregory spoke up, “Very well. Can you read?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good. I’ll send you my familiar with the full document in two days. She’s a white owl so you won’t miss her.

Go over the document, preferably with Marla’s guidance and think it over. I’ll accept whatever decision you make,” the Seeker regarded Alaric with an expectant look.

Alaric nodded in agreement.

“Right. Before I forget, may I have that golden orb I gave you?” Elder Gregory held out his hand.

Alaric fished it from his pocket and handed it over.

The man froze with the orb in his hand, then pursed his lips, “You’re not surprised.”

“No, I’m grateful. Thank you for protecting me,” Alaric replied with a slight bow of his head.

Indeed the act had been very much appreciated. After Alia mentioned how weak the orb they’d been given was, Alaric realised just how much trouble he’d been saved from.

Granted, any normal S-class guardian would be hunted to no end while their master was still incapable of protecting themselves.

The severity of that hunt, however, would have been increased tenfold if that strength happened to… exceed expectations.

“No responsible adult would put such a burden on a child. Regardless of your reply, I don’t regret the show I put on back there,” Elder Gregory sighed.

The old man walked over to his desk and took a seat, placing the glowing orb on the table while in deep thought. Alaric could almost see the gears turning inside the man’s head as he went silent.

Finn was the one to break the silence, “I’m sorry to interrupt… but what happened back there? And what show are you talking about… sir?”

Elder Gregory turned to Alaric who just shrugged his shoulders, “Friend of Alaric, what I tell you now is to never leave this room.

The appraisal orbs weren’t enough to classify your friend. Aspirant or not, they should have reacted to him… but they didn’t.

People try to sneak in here all the time for a second appraisal hoping to change the results.

It’s a shame considering you can’t use an Awakening Orb twice. It would simply be a toy that lights up when in your presence.

That said, none of them reacted. Why do you think that was?”

“Because none of them was enough to measure his guardian’s abilities,” Darla replied indifferently.

“Precisely… And that’s why I faked your appraisal,” the man finished his explanation.

Alaric was stunned at how fast the man’s mind had worked. Not only had he figured out the severity of the situation but he had also managed to devise means of hiding this information from all the aspirants around.

“Does something like this happen often?” Alaric asked.

“No… it doesn’t. It’s actually the first I’ve heard of it,” the man responded.

“So… I don’t get an appraisal?”

“Of course, you do,” Elder Gregory chuckled, raising his hands over the table before him.

The man summoned a large amount of aether and started performing magic silently.

‘No chants…’ Alaric observed.

[Did you think you’re the only one that can do that?] Alia laughed in his mind.

The door swung open and golden orbs flew into the room, swirling around the man in mesmerizing before coalescing right in front of him.

One by one, the aether-imbued orbs bombarded a growing golden mass hovering above the table.

With each addition, the old man’s face grew paler. Alaric suspected the orb forming in front of the Elder was meant to glow the moment its energy resonated with Alia’s…

One, two, three…

Seven, eight, nine…

Fourteen, fifteen…

…

“Twe…Twenty golden orbs!” Elder Gregory breathed.

Floating in front of him was a large golden orb the size of a grapefruit glowing bright with intricate patterns, pulsing with a strong resonance of aether as it shimmered in front of him.

Like a magnet, the ball floated away from him and settled above Alaric’s head…

[Now that’s more like me] Alia hummed with pride.