"So what now? What's your plan now that we're back in the capital?" I asked as we made our way through the streets.

"Visit the library and say hello to a few acquaintances. Now that we're here, I have a few letters to send back home. After that? Who knows. With Teddy's parents being home, things can get weird; it's best to prepare an open schedule," Celanae replied.

"They seem like the best kind of fun. Though, I'm surprised they're only now reaching tier three. Didn't Brelten adventure with them?"

I figured they'd all be ready to get to tier four by now.

"Mmm. You forget that they had to take time off to raise their son. They stayed home and became the best parents they could ever be till he was old enough to start adventuring on his own."

"And now that they're tier three, they'll what? From how it was explained, it sounds like they'll be slowing down rather than speeding along to tier four."

"Is there a reason you assume they can get to tier four?"

"I... yeah, I guess I didn't think about that? But honestly, there is no way they can't; they don't seem like the kind of people to stop. And even if they couldn't, they'd do enough rifts to unlock slots and then tier up."

They're too confident, too sure of themselves. They move like they walk a mile high. I don't see them stopping, not now or ever.

"Yeah, well, don't assume it's always the same for everyone you meet. I don't think I need to remind you of the earth mages incident," she admonished.

"Fair, fair. So, will you finally tell me who you are?"

Celanae stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me. What do you mean?"

"Please, I'm not dumb. Teddy is a Legacy first-born pseudo-noble, Isaac is a noble, and Eodyne is someone important to her village; I already know from her little chats with you guys. Igas, I have zero idea, maybe a bastard's son. And then that leaves you; you get strange looks whenever another elf sees you. So again, I ask, who are you?"

Well? I shared my secrets, what about you?

I didn't know what came over me, but I knew this was something I wanted answered. For all the prodding and poking about my status and past, they all held their own secrets.

She let out a controlled sigh and straightened her back. "If you really want to know, I'll show you. It's only fair, given what I know about you."

I contemplated it for a long moment but ultimately shook my head. "Nah, that's fine. If you're uncomfortable about it, I won't push. It's good to know you're willing to share the details anyway, and that's enough."

She put on a bright smile, and I returned it in kind, but there was a weird tension in the air. The rest of the walk back to the manor was utterly uneventful as we kept small talk to a minimum.

Celanae pointed out other buildings and places she recognized throughout the impromptu tour. She had most of the city's upper region memorized, but new stuff popped in all the time, and unless you spent your everyday life in the city, it'd be impossible to keep track of it all.

And every colorful hat and outfit only added to its bizarre charm, even as the sycophants stood out like eyesores in the backdrop.

I requested a small break at a nice-smelling stall selling what looked like cream puffs. The saleswoman coated them in red dust that tasted like cinnamon. Before we made our way to Teddy's house, I asked to stop and sit for a while.

It was an amazing view. I saw it yesterday, but the bustle of the new city overwhelmed me more than I thought. Sitting here, relaxing, and enjoying delicious food helped me appreciate the majesty of it all even more.

"Hey, thanks," I said.

"For what?" Celanae asked.

"I don't know. Taking the time to hang out?"

She turned and placed a hand on my arm. "Hey, are you okay?"

She searched my eyes, but the no pupils thing made it relatively easy to hide the more common tells in humans.

"I'm fine. I mean it. Thank you for the last two months. All of you, really, but you and Teddy the most. You both spent enough time putting up with me."

"Cyrus," she said as she shook her head. "We didn't put up with you. Don't ever think that."

"Fine. You're right." I stood up and stretched, dusting red dust off my shirt. "Let's get going. Too noisy out here anyway."

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

She looked uncertain, but she withheld from interrogating me further. Thankfully, the journey was calm and peaceful.

When we made it back to the manor, Celanae said her farewells and headed off to do whatever she needed to do.

Standing alone, I stared at the metal gate and prepared myself.

I placed a hand on the gate and willed mana into its structure. I felt the barest amount get sucked into the metal and down into the ground. A second later, chimes played, and the gate swung open.

After two steps inside, the gate swung closed, and I heard a roar of laughter come from inside the mansion.

"Ooh, Cyrus, right? Come in! Come in!" Anastasia's voice rang out.

"We have delicious food! The drinks may be poisonous, though!" Nathan's voice followed.

I chuckled and entered the manor. Following the sound of laughter and heavy pounding, I found the two staring at a board game while Teddy sat in the corner, looking crestfallen.

I approached the chair and sat down. In front of the Lightcrests was something reminiscent of a chess board, but the pieces were foreign.

I watched as Nathan tapped the board, lighting up three diagonal squares that connected to a colorful red marble. The marble lifted into the air and then shot at the adjacent green marble in an explosion of fire. The green marble then lit up in a tiny spark of flames before turning black and grey.

Anastasia stuck out her tongue while glaring at her husband. "Meanie. I was saving that one."

"I know, dear! That's why I had to take it. You're already too powerful," Nathan exclaimed.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, content to observe the game. More and more pieces clashed, each one reacting with mana and some kind of elemental flare-up according to their color.

Whatever the rules were, it looked simple, easy even. They kept at it until Anastasia snuck in a piece near the end by moving it three places instead of two. It was the first time I had seen a piece move more than two squares, but Teddy's mom sported a delighted grin.

The small marble lit up and the square below it before changing to an entirely different version of green. This time, I saw vines crawling up the sides of the inside of the glass.

"It looks like I'll be the winner!" Anastasia declared.

Nathan shook his head. "Not unless I can turn it around! Not over yet!"

The game continued for another thirty seconds, during which Anastasia used her new piece to practically wipe the board by being able to move five squares in one go.

Nathan hung his head in defeat while covering his blindfold as if hiding his eyes. "Unfair. We don't use nature marbles. We're not Brel!"

"Ah, but that's why it worked, dear. We never look at the nature marbles unless we have to; it was perfectly easy for you to ignore."

"Ruthless!"

"Cunning!"

I shook my head at the comedy playing before me.

They really are a fun couple. It seems like a nice way to spend life.

Teddy set aside his endless stack of letters and rested his pen on the desk. "How was the trip to Noira?"

"Went okay, gave her forty gold to do with as she pleases to get my designs made. I'll finally have a wardrobe that I can keep for longer than a week or two," I replied.

He quirked his eyebrows. "That's a lot of money. I didn't know you made that much off the alchemy materials."

I shrugged. "Worked out. Though, maybe I should learn to make a lot more money soon. I need to fill my slots."

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the conversation. When we looked over, Teddy's parents were beaming pearly-white smiles.

"So, Teddy has explained the bare bones of your situation," Anastasia started.

I glared at Teddy, and he shrugged in turn.

"Ehem. Well, what do you say about a wager?" Nathan asked. He picked up one of the now grey marbles from the board. "Care for a game or two? If you win, we'll happily provide you a skillstone."

They grinned and didn't move, frozen almost like statues. I didn't even see them breathe.

Teddy groaned. "Mother, father. Please explain better."

"I don't want charity," I stated firmly.

Their smiles didn't crack. Nathan leaned forward. "Ah, but this isn't that."

Anastasia placed a hand over her heart and then her husband's. "A prize won in a fair competition is justly yours. We're not just giving it to you; you're earning it."

I clicked my fangs together and glanced at Teddy. He shook his head and gestured to his parents.

Nathan dropped the smile. "In truth, we would have just given it to you, but our precious son informed us that you wouldn't be comfortable with that."

"He's not wrong..." I sighed. "Why? No offense to the two of you, but you just met me. I won't distrust you; you're Teddy's parents, but I don't understand it."

They cocked their heads at the same time. "What's there to understand?"

Teddy tapped his desk. "I'll explain. Cyrus, remember the armory last night?"

"Yeah?"

"That's a larger haul, but my parents have been doing that for a long time. We'd need more dimensional storage spaces if we kept it all."

And?

"The point is?"

"The point is, my parents are excessive gamblers," he said deadpan.

A cry of outrage from the couple shook the room. "Hey now! We are whimsical philanthropists!"

"We're very responsible with our gambling, thank you very much!"

Teddy turned to them with dead eyes. "Philanthropists or gamblers? Which one is it?"

They paused. Slowly, they turned their heads and looked at each other before nodding.

"Gambling Philanthropists!"

"Philanthropic Gamblers!"

"Right," Teddy said as he nodded before turning to me. "As you can see, they are not giving you charity for charity's sake. Just play the game and win the stone. Nothing to lose."

I looked over to see Nathan juggling the stones while Anastasia spun the board on her finger.

I laughed.

They are insane but in the best way. Alright, I'm curious.

"Fine. I'll do it. Is it complicated?"

"Well... no? But like any game, there are rules!" Anastasia said.

"This is actually a training game for young kids. It's mostly used as a child's first mana manipulation toy. Admittedly, this version is not the common variety. But even the poorest of children have access to a version that simulates the interaction of elements."

Every word out of his mouth was said in a higher pitch. And the goofy grin he gave had me shaking my head.

I stood up, ready to join the crazy duo, but then stopped and flashed a smile of my own. "How about another rule?"

"Oh? What do you want to change?"

"For every piece won, we get to ask a question. For every piece lost, we have to answer one."

Anastasia quirked an eyebrow and tapped her chin. "Sounds easy enough. May I ask why you want this sort of wager?"

I shrugged. "People who've reached tier three should be able to provide a lot of interesting answers. At least this way, it's more fun."

The pair shared a look and then glanced at me before comically leaning in and whispering to themselves. After a series of nods that felt more exaggerated each time their chin dipped below the neckline, they split apart and smiled.

As one, they spoke. "Deal!"