ILIAS PAYNE

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For some reason, my mother had two copies of A Song Of Two Lovers by Harvey Woodman. One was in the common tongue while the other was in beast tongue.

I already know how to read the common tongue, I should try to learn as many languages while my brain is still maturing.

Doctors always said that the easiest age to learn was when one was a child. I didn’t believe them then, but I had to admit I was wrong.

Before I got reincarnated, I never took learning other languages seriously. Everyone knew the common tongue and if the other party didn’t, they would usually have a translator. But knowing other languages was a skill and since the Paynes weren’t nobles, any skill under our tree would help.

All the languages in Armestis shared the same letters and they all made the same sound, so it was easy to pronounce words in different tongues. I began learning the beast tongue by reading both copies of A Song Of Two Lovers side by side and comparing the sentences.

With this, I was able to decode the translations and begin learning.

I always tried to do this in secret, but that all came to an end one day when the flowers in the yard bloomed. Trisha rushed inside to show me their pretty colours.

She’s really passionate about gardening, isn’t she?

However, all of that slipped her mind when she saw me reading two books at once. Her eyes gleamed and her cheeks flushed red. “You are so smart, Illy! Let’s start teaching you how to read and write.”

Ever since then, an hour before the clinic opened and an hour before going to bed, my mother sat me down at the table and ‘taught’ me to read and write.

She was a bit suspicious about why I was reading two books at the same time, but I was able to convince her that I was simply curious as to why both covers looked the same.

It was a bit unnatural for a four-year-old to be able to learn how to read so easily, but Trisha was none the wiser. No matter what, parents were oblivious to the means as to how their children became gifted.

I made it believable that in less than a year, I was able to read and write quickly. No matter how good someone was at something, they always struggled in one aspect. When I was learning swordsmanship, my weak spot was footing. For reading and writing, I picked punctuation.

Trisha became frustrated from time to time, but she never showed it. She just smiled and tried to explain it in an easier way.

Finally, after years of waiting, this was the right time.

“Mother, can we go to the library tomorrow? I’ve already read the books we have here,” I asked while we ate supper.

“What books were you thinking off?”

“History. There are things they mention in the Harvey Woodman books that I don’t know are real or made up. I want to read about the real ones.”

“I was only interested in fictional tales when I was your age, but it’s good that you're taking an interest in history.” She picked up my empty plate and took it to the sink. “But I’m sorry, Illy, I’ve got patients to tend to tomorrow and the library will be closed when I finish the day.”

I glanced down. “Oh, okay.”

I could’ve begged for her to take me there like a normal child, but that wouldn’t get me anywhere.

I’ve waited five years to get answers, another day won’t hurt.

However, when we broke our fast the next morning, we were visited by the colonel, who knocked before letting himself in.

“Morning, Ray,” she greeted.

“Why’d you call for me?” the colonel asked as he held documents with his armpits.

“Geez, you can’t even say hi?”

Colonel Camaro always spoke as if he was interrogating someone.

Trisha sighed. “Ilias wanted to go to the library and read a few things. Since that place is your base of operations, I was wondering if you can take him there for the day and let him read.”

“Read?” Colonel Camaro studied me. “Isn’t he only four?”

“Hey!” I said holding out an open palm. “I’m five.”

“I’m sorry, but there aren’t any picture books in the library. It’s only references and things you wouldn’t find interesting.”

“I want to know about history.”

“He can read,” Trisha said, backing me up. “I’ve been teaching him this past year and he’s read everything on that shelf.”

“Trish, I know your kid is smarter than most, but I don’t think he’ll find books at the library interesting. Are you sure you’re not overestimating his abilities?”

“Why don’t you test it out?” she asked. “There are books on that shelf. Take one, flip to a random page, and ask him to read it.”

The colonel sighed, opening the envelope he had tucked in between his armpit. He placed a thick stack of paper in front of me. “Can you read this for me, kiddo?”

“Report. Two adventurers who were drunk had their belongings stolen from them at midnight. They reported that they remembered a man coughing violently as they lay to rest. The cough sounded dry and his shape was fat.” I looked at Camaro. “Isn’t this Old Man Dane?”

For a second, the colonel let a shocked look consume his face before shaking it off and returning it to the seriousness he always carried. “Yes, the description does match the fletcher.” He shot a look at Trisha. “Are you sure he’s four?”

“I’m five!”

“Sorry.”

Trisha shrugged. “You were there when he was born. You can count for yourself.”

Camaro put a hand on my shoulder. “I guess you can come with me to the library then.”

After finishing my meal, Trisha had me change out of my bedclothes and handed me lunch before seeing me off.

“Are you a jynxist?” I asked the colonel as we walked.

If Trisha could perform jynx, then I don’t doubt that the colonel could as well.

He must have good leadership, but on top of that, he must also be powerful for being able to have control of this village at such a young age.

“Yes, I’m a State Jynxist.”

“That’s cool. What can you do?”

“I can only do the basics in arcane and healing, but I’m known for my summonings. I only use one summoning. But that summoning is the strongest one and no one has ever been able to replicate it.”

“Summoning? I’ve never heard of that before.”

“It’s a type of jynx that lets you summon a creature. There’s a lot more to it, so I’ll explain it to you some other time. My parents were the ones that discovered summoning jynx.”

Ah, that must be why. Summonings were never a thing back in my previous life. It’s good to know things progressed.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Are they still researching it?” I asked.

Camaro bit the edge of his lip. “My parents aren’t around anymore.”

I forgot. Trisha told me his parents died when he was young.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

“Can I see what your summoning looks like?”

The colonel curled his eyebrows at me. “You haven’t seen what they look like?”

I shook my head.

He put on a white leather glove he pulled from his pocket. It had an inscription circle that looked similar to the ones Trisha had on the gloves she kept in a drawer.

I think I managed to figure out how those worked.

Casting a spell by spoken mouth took a couple of seconds and your opponent might’ve been able to figure out what you were casting and counter it.

In between my death and rebirth, jynxists must have managed to assign circles that would cast a certain spell without saying the actual incantations. These incantation circles would be placed on tools or armour and those could only use whatever spell was put on it.

It would be easier to use a circle if the spell being cast was a primary move.

The colonel stared at the ground a few feet away from us and snapped his gloved finger toward it. “Marching Doll!”

The selected area began to shift as what looked like a humanoid emerged from the feet up. Its skin was pale white and hugged its skeletal frame. Its face was featureless save for the giant eyeball right above where the nose should be. Its mouth had blunt teeth, but a muzzle of its own flesh walled it off. It also came equipped with a short sword.

“You still have to say the name of the spell?”

“That’s correct. It’s what activates the circle on this glove.”

“What was the snap for?”

“It’s the trigger,” he explained. “The circle sets it up. The spell name activates it. And an action triggers it.”

“It can be any action?”

“Yes. All you need is to practice associating an action with a spell. Your mother’s action is putting her hand on the opposite elbow. Did you notice it when she was healing the villagers?”

“No, but now I do. What about you, Colonel, why did you pick snapping as your trigger?”

“It looks cool.” Camaro smiled as if reminiscing something. “The summoner, in this case, myself, can make my summoning do anything.”

“Can you make it do a handstand?”

The sword crumbled into the soil before the summoning began balancing on its palms. Camaro must’ve released his spell after as the Marching Doll returned back to the earth.

We began walking again.

“Are those? Actual people?”

“A common assumption, but no. I structure one of my gates to feed mana to the summoning. That’s how it appears to be alive. If the summoning dies, my gate remains safe.”

“Are they temporary?”

“This will be too much to take in. If you’re this interested, I can set up an hour or two each week where you come to the library and I teach you whatever you’re interested in. Maybe Jaime can sit still if she’s accompanied by someone her age.”

So many things have changed and I couldn’t help but be curious.

“I’d love it if you could do that,” I said.

“You know, Ilias, your mother says that you have no interest in playing with the other kids in Gilead.”

Gilead? So that’s what this village must be called.

“I don’t really feel like playing with them.”

“You’d rather read and learn?”

I nodded.

“I see. I wish Jaime was like you.”

“Who’s that?”

“She’s a kid your age. Her parents died when she was an infant and since we don’t have an orphanage here, I took her in.”

“So, you’re her dad?”

“More like her guardian, but if you want to simplify it as that then sure. But she never calls me that.”

“Mother said that after your morning shift, you spend the entire day doing work at the library. Does Jaime stay there too?”

“Gods, no. She’s off messing around somewhere. She only comes back for lunch.”

“So she’s already gonna be gone when we’re there?”

“Not quite. I told the lieutenant to watch her until I get back. She’s a bit… energetic. So please excuse her.”

When we finally arrived at the library, the doors to the building burst open as a green-haired elf girl ran out. “Can I go now?”

“How were your studies?” Camaro asked.

“It went well.”

The lieutenant shook her head. “She barely read a page.”

“Snitch!”

Camaro sighed. “Fine. you can go. But when you come back for lunch, you’ll have to finish the chapter you're on and read another before leaving.”

Jaime hopped to the ground and began running down the road.

The colonel grabbed her shoulder. “And Jaime, this is Ilias. You two may be the same age but you’re complete opposites. Even with that, I want you to get along with him. Okay?”

The elf girl stared at me. “Okie. Nice to meet you, Ilias! Let’s be friends later. Bye-bye, gotta go!”

And just like that, Jaime was gone.

“That girl has too much energy in her,” Camaro complained. “She wakes me up so early holding two practice swords and clenching a third in her mouth proclaiming she’s using all three sword styles at once. The next day she’s carving circles on them to give them power-ups. The day after that she’s cutting down the sapling I grew from the seed Czeslaw mailed to me. What am I going to do with that girl?”

“Why don’t you just teach her swordsmanship then, Colonel?” Lieutenant Doria asked. “You’re gonna have to teach her at some point.”

“She’s too young. I don’t want her going around starting fights with the other kids.”

Teaching kids when they’re younger is better.

“Can I ask a question?” I said. “You said Jaime is an elf that’s my age. But mother told me that elves age ten times slower than us. How come we look the same? Shouldn’t she be an infant still?”

The lieutenant grinned. “Trisha’s boy’s got a keen mind.”

“That much is true.” Camaro turned to me. “Jaime is a half-elf. Her mother was an elf but her father was a terran. That means she’ll age like a terran until she gets to her thirties. She’ll then stay at that appearance until she is nine hundred and her appearance will start to age again.”

Ah. That makes more sense. Lord Vargo himself was a half-elf.

Is he still alive? What about Valentine? Salazar too? Hopefully, they’re all still alive, but I’ll find out soon enough.

“Oh, I thought she’d still be a baby.”

“That’s one thing I wish for,” Camaro said. “She was much calmer and easier to take care of when she was a babe.”

“Was she?” Doria asked. “You used to call me to your house in the middle of the night declaring an emergency. ‘Lieutenant! Lieutenant! I need your help!’ And when I got there, Jaime was crying because she soiled herself.”

“But if I knew how she would grow up, I’d pray to the gods to make her a full-elf just so she’d stay as an infant.”

“She’ll also stay as a kid for much longer.”

“I would be dead by then. A new meaning to the phrase rest in peace.”

Doria opened the door for us. “I made you coffee.”

“Thanks, Lieutenant. Can you take Ilias and help him find the things he wants? He’s been well-behaved and I’m sure he’s itching to read.”

“Sure thing.”

“Ilias, I’ve got some things to look after, so Lieutenant Doria will help you find the things you want. Her office is near where you’ll be so just ask her if you need anything.”

The Lieutenant’s name was Andrea Doria. She was a redheaded lady who looked a couple of years younger than the colonel. Her hair was always tied to a bun, perhaps as a way to keep it from brushing up her face in the case of an emergency. Though I do see her on her days off letting it flow.

I still don’t know how these titles work.

“Lieutenant, what’s the difference between your name and the colonel? Like why are your titles that?”

“You mean ranks,” she went on to explain. “From the lowest to the highest: private, captain, corporal, sergeant, officer, lieutenant, major, colonel, brigadier, and general. And king if you want to add that in there.”

“Is the colonel the highest-ranking in this village?”

“Yes, he is. Colonel is in charge of this whole place.”

“In charge?”

“Yes. You see, his job is to watch over Gilead. To keep order, ensure everyone is working, keep everyone safe, and report back to either the Warden or the Capital.”

“Warden?”

“The country is split into four regions: Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern. So the colonel’s superior is the Warden of the East, who would be General Clegane. He’s from here as well so he likes to make surprise visits.”

“Don’t you want to have control of your own village?”

“I cannot. Only colonels, brigadiers, and generals can hold jurisdiction over settlements. Besides, I’m part of Camaro’s unit and he trusts me as his adjutant.”

“I see.”

“So what do you want to read?”

“I guess general history about Armestis.”

“Anything specific?”

“Umm. The one where the king’s son rebelled against his father. The one with the eclipse battle.”

“A scholar of recent history, I see. Decan’s Rebellion?”

“Yes, that’s the one. I wanted to know more about that. How recent is it?”

“Let’s see. This is easy math since you were born on the exact day Decan died. The rebellion was one hundred and twelve years before you were born. A hundred and seventeen right now.”

A century. It took a while, but I finally know that I was born just over a century after my death.

That was much shorter than I expected.

“Stay here. I’ll go get them for you.” When Doria came back, she set half a dozen books on the table and opened the window to let sunlight in. “I’ll be in that room if you need me.”

“Thank you, lieutenant. But I’ll make sure not to bother you.”

She smiled and promptly took her leave.

Finally, after so long. I’ll find the answers here.

What happened after my death?