Chapter Twenty Three: The Boys Are Back

［After all that, you are willing to go back to being livestock? You have a chance to have real freedom. The power to do whatever you want. The money to live any way you want. Instead, you are back to doing chores and… farming?］

Obi had been getting more and more annoying. Lately, it felt like they kept having the same argument over an over.

It had been more than three moons since Rook had decided to stay with Dilly. Initially, he thought he would only stay a few days before moving on, but life with the old woman in the house above the sea turned out to be far from his expectations.

The first thing was, of course, the meals. An entire world had been opened up to Rook with that first bite of roasted fish. All he ever had to eat on the ranch was watery porridge, moldy bread, and milk. Occasionally, there might be an egg in the porridge, and sometimes, when he was hungry, there were a few edible plants that grew around the fences that were beyond the bubal reach.

From his first meal at the house, Rook had been captivated by the food. Not only was he encouraged by Dilly to eat as much as he wanted, but there were so many delicious foods. She would serve him meats of birds, rabbits, and, of course, fish. There were pies with meat, and pies with fruits, and pies filled with boiled eggs.

There were also potatoes, some were white and savory, and others were pink or orange and sticky sweet. Steamed carrots, and yellow gourds, each meal was an amazing event, not only because each meal surpassed the last, but also because Dilly insisted that Rook help prepare the food.

Every step, from preparing the ingredients, such as washing and peeling the vegetables, to using the large stone oven, Dilly would explain, demonstrate, and then ask Rook to try replicating.

One thing that mercenary parties often overlook is food preparation. It’s something that can cripple you if your team gets stuck in the forest with no supplies. That was one of the first lessons that Dilly imparted to Rook.

It didn’t take long to recognize that Rook’s common sense was in woefully short supply. He had no knowledge at all of economics, politics, or even basic social conventions. Each time she discovered one of these deficiencies, she would get a sad look on her face. Dilly seemed determined to remove all these handicaps from Rook’s path.

In the days that followed his arrival, they had fallen into a pattern. Each morning, he would go outside and do chores, tending to the garden, gathering some ingredients, cleaning up the house, and tending to the small pens that held chicken, several pigs, and a goat. Rook still preferred bubal milk over goat, but it was growing on him.

He would then cook breakfast while Dilly would quiz him on things they had already discussed in previous days. She maintained the best way to properly absorb knowledge was to repeat it often.

She would ask him to identify various plants, or describe how to navigate using a map, or the function of various magic tools, all while he tried to replicate various dishes Dilly had taught him previously.

Despite having no previous education, Rook soon understood how much he enjoyed learning in general. It was as if the emptiness in his life and purpose was a deep hole waiting to be filled with anything and everything. If he didn’t know it, he was eager to learn about it, and even Obi had to admit that Rook learned new things quickly.

In the evenings, they would talk over tea after dinner. She never pushed him to explain anything from his past. Instead, she would explain how things in the world were. The nations and rules, the types of governments, and the social structure that most people lived under.

He learned that the country he was in was called the Thornwood Kingdom. It was a small, relatively new nation, where most of the land was uninhabitable wilds. The King, Thornwood IV, was the great-grandson of a hero in the last great continental conflict. He had been granted the land by the Great King of the time. King Thornwood currently lived in the regional capital city of Thornwood, far to the south.

The city to the north was Stormhaven. It was a port city that was critical for trade with the Western continent, as well as the northern lands including the Empire, the adversary during the last great war.

Rook would constantly ask questions, very much mimicking the annoying behavior of his previous collogue, Pig. One thing he was particularly interested in was the Guilds.

There were many guilds across the nations, but in Stormhaven, power was split between the local governor, the mercenary guild, the hunters guild, and the merchant guild. Each group had different purposes and organizational structures, and while there was occasional tension and minor conflicts between them, they usually maintained a balance so that the people in the city were not disadvantaged.

The mercenary guild was in charge of skilled labor. Mercenaries could help with construction, or pest removal, security and escort duties, and even occasionally town and village defense for the surrounding communities.

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The hunters guild comprised of the hunters who swept the wilds for animals and harvested coins. While the mercenary guild accepted anyone who was willing to work, the hunters were elites, ruled over by old families of power. They ostensibly operated only outside the city, in the wilds, but in fact, they wielded tremendous political power and dabbled in local politics and regional commerce on a regular basis. It was also commonly known to be a historic rival of the mercenary guild in every major city across the continent.

The merchant guild registered and regulated trade both within the city, as well as between cities and nations. It was the only major guild that operated in the southern kingdoms and the northern empire, though it restricted its operations to purely commercial interests. It claimed to be above, or outside politics, but many times had been caught with its fingers stained by local and regional conflicts.

Finally, the local government was managed by the city lord, an appointed vassal of the king. The current lord, an earl and cousin of the king, was charged with the protection of the citizens, collection of taxes, and maintenance of the infrastructure of the city and surrounding communities.

Dilly explained all of these things, and patiently answered Rook’s many questions. For the most part, she tried not to press her own opinions, but occasionally, most often when she talked about the hunters guild, or the city lord, she would let her true feelings slip out. It was clear to Rook that she was a fan of neither group.

During the day, they would often go out into the forest. Dilly would scavenge for various wild ingredients such as mushrooms or snake eggs, and would give Rook some tips on how to avoid animals, spot tracks, while hiding his own, and things to avoid, such as the poisonous plants that seemed to be everywhere.

For now, Rook was more than satisfied with the arrangement. He felt he was quickly learning much of what he had been deprived of his whole life, and he enjoyed the work, cooking and caring for the house was like a vacation compared to his old life.

Obi, however, was less impressed. At first, he had been happy enough. He would seed questions for Rook to ask Dilly, and was ecstatic to not only get confirmation that his map speculation was accurate, but also get access to more maps with even more detailed information, including a map of Stormhaven.

Soon, however, Obi started to show signs of boredom and an eagerness to get back to traveling. It was easy to understand his frustration. As long as they stayed with Dilly, they were not using any skills, which meant his proficiency growth stagnated. Not only that, but Rook was also not summoning the shadow familiar.

This had been a major blow to Obi’s morale, as the freedom he experienced was the greatest joy he ever dreamt of. But they both feared that any use of the skill would be noticed by the frighteningly vigilant observation skills of the former scout.

This led to Obi pestering Rook on a daily basis. Rook sympathized, but felt that he was not ready yet, and was still learning so much each day that he stayed.

“I want to get moving as much as you, but this is a chance to get all the information we need to live however we want, all without any risk.”

［Are you sure it’s not that you just want to get the recipe for the goat cheese berry pastry? Or wait for your summer gourds to ripen?］Obi retorted petulantly.

“Just one more moon. I promise. We need to figure out how to enter Stormhaven without getting arrested. Then we can see about selling some of the skill stones, and maybe…”

［No! You’re not gonna bring that up again, are you?］

“Why not?”

［Joining stuff like that is just going to cause you trouble down the line. Trust me. We should stick to being free agents. Beholden to no man.］

Rook had recently been asking Dilly about joining the mercenary guild. He had originally hoped to join the hunters, but had learned that with his background, that was nearly impossible.

They had yet to discuss the sigil on Rooks’s hand, although he knew it was something Dilly was more than mildly curious about.

There was no way he would even be able to enter the city without being checked, and his status as an ownerless bondsman could put him in prison before any questions were asked. If they found his contract, it was possible he would be executed. Or so he had been told.

The truth was that he didn’t know, and he had been afraid to bring up the topic with Dilly. He knew he would need to eventually, but he was afraid of what she might say, so he kept putting it off.

［We don’t have to go through Stormhaven, though.］

“Yes, we do. We need more supplies. I’m never going back to eating millet twice a day.”

［Well, there are lots of supplies here…］

“I swear, if you try to steal anything here, I will rip out your stone and throw you into the sea.”

［Fine, fine. I wasn’t really gonna do it—］

“Don’t even joke.”

It was hard to understand how Rook’s relationship had developed with Dilly. She wasn’t exactly a mother figure to him. She was his teacher and perhaps a mentor. She was strict, and her demeanor was not exactly friendly, but she was kind in her actions.

Rook had lacked any positive figure in his life, and had never had a human bond, even with the other children who had worked on the ranch.

Now, he had a teacher that he respected. Someone who had knowledge that he coveted, and who was freely sharing it with him. If she had demanded all the coins he carried in order to continue, he would likely have done it, even over the objections of his new friend and companion.

But he knew that Obi was right. Sooner, rather than later, he would need to leave. He was still learning, but he also needed to grow. He needed to get more coins and the power to be truly independent, and right now, he was completely reliant on the old woman for everything.

A tapping sound drew Rook’s attention to the window in the kitchen. Rook was still cleaning up after breakfast, and was surprised to see a small yellow bird sitting in the windowsill.

“Um. Dilly?”

“What is it?”

“A… guest? Do you know this guy?”

Dilly entered the kitchen and, upon seeing the bird, let out an exclamation of happiness.

“Oh! They are coming back! Rook! Look, they are coming back.”

“Huh? What? Who? Who’s coming?” A hint of nervousness in his voice.

“The boys!” She exclaimed as she walked over to the window.

She put her hand out, and the bird obediently hopped onto her finger. After petting it a few times, she whispered something into its ear, and it hopped out and flew off into the sky.

“My boys are coming home!”