Unlike Northern, the streets of Central were only sowhat less crowded than usual.
It wouldn’t really feel different, beside the unusual amount of chatter amongst the rare noble passersby - all discussions related to the obvious topic - and the extrely low number of visitors who weren’t part of the district’s essential personnel.
I, myself, barely bypassed the severe entry restrictions, only thanks to that access token I received from Anne. Judging by the subtle signs of surprise from one of the guards, this kind of token was a rarity, in and of itself – at least for soone like , who clearly looked like the average adventurer.
The journey to Anne’s estate was smooth. Having rembered to get off on the 1st intersection, then continue down the eastern line until the conductor announced Ozreon’s intersectio-
Well, no, actually, it was the stop before that. Having forgotten that part, I at least rembered the walk back was around 5 minutes.
“Mother, is that an adventurer?”
“Don’t get too close to that commoner, Charlie.”
“.. ugh, I can sll the oil from here.”
The only extra cost, beside the short stroll, were the few curious gazes I caught from a couple of nobles at that station.
The oil, by the way, was the one I used to clean my blade, which did leave a certain sll, a bit similar to what you’d find in a garage on Earth. It was especially notable today, as wiping it off my sword was harder, with my arms in this state.
I didn’t exactly enjoy being looked at like so rare specin in a safari, but then again, this was a miniscule price to pay for this type of knowledge.
“Greetings, sir Sebastian.”
The sa maid as three- no, just two, or even one-and-a-half days ago, respectfully greeted at the gate. Well, hearing ‘sir’ before my na was weird, but in Valoria, this prefix doubled both as an indication of seniority, and general politeness.
“Good day, erm…”
“Ellena.”
“Good day, miss Ellena.”
“Have you co to visit the library?”
“Yes, I have.”
There was no hesitation in my answer. Not that I wasn’t self-conscious about making use of Anne’s good will, yet, she was the one who suggested it. Plus, the subtle excitent, which I didn't even notice until now, had sharply risen.
“Follow .”
We made our way towards a familiar room – the one where and Anne spent hours, two days ago.
“I trust you rember the mistress’s words.”
“Yes, of course. No training of actual cantrips.”
“I assu you know what you wish to read.”
I nodded, my eyes glancing towards the thick cover of the cantrip book, the one I recognized from back then.
“Please tell if there’s anything you need. I shall be doing chores around the estate, but I will check on you every hour or so.”
“Oh, there’s no need.. actually, just bring a jug of water. And, umm… tell where the restroom is. Besides that, I’m good.”
“Of course.”
It felt strange getting treated this well in a noble’s house, yet, a minute later, that feeling instantly faded in the back of my mind, as I finally placed my hands on the cover.
‘Alright. Let’s see what you got.’
***
knockknock
I raised my eyes, realizing the morning light had already been replaced by that of the afternoon, and that the water jug, as well as the glass beside , were already empty.
“Ah, yes!”
As the double doors began to open, I haphazardly stood up, feeling it inappropriate to greet the house maid while sitting in the luxurious arm-chair.
Truth be told, despite my calm deanor, being treated like this still felt a bit embarrassing. Perhaps these were just so leftover instincts from Earth.
“Lunch is ready, and the mistress should be returning soon. I’m certain she’d be happy if you joined us.”
“I… Of course.”
The maid gave a strange look, before a soft sight escaped her lips. I couldn’t help but tense up a little, even if I did my best not to show it.
“Sir– Sebastian. May I be frank?”
“Y-yes…”
As a dozen scenarios - most of which I logically knew were unrealistic - flashed through my mind, she spoke.
“I know it may feel like you don’t deserve to be here.”
At those words, I almost froze. She surely ant it when she said she’s going to be blunt.
“However, please, do your best to discard such thoughts from your mind.”
The attempt at a reassuring smile, which seed so out of place on her usually-stern face, was even more surprising than her previous words.
“I may not always know what goes inside my mistress’s mind, but one thing’s for certain – if she offered you co here at your leisure, she quite certainly won’t be offended or insulted at you taking up that offer.”
Logically, I knew that, but…
“S-still… I know you’re right, but I just can’t shake the feeling I’m taking advantage of her goodwill.”
I didn’t even know what made confess my thoughts out-loud. Perhaps the excitent from the previous hours acted as a catalyst to elevate my other emotions, which were usually under tighter control – naly the current nervousness.
At my words, Ellena’s eyes narrowed, inspecting for a few monts – before giving a softer, more genuine smile.
“I suppose that attitude is part of the reason.”
As I was puzzled by her words, she continued.
“It may not be my place to say this, but, if you feel a sense of obligation, know this – keeping her company is more than enough.”
As I was searching for words to reply, a subtle, sudden movent of her eyes suggested that sothing had happened.
“The mistress has arrived. Now, would you like to have lunch?”
“I.. would be happy to.”
***
“Ah, Sebastian! Good to see you here.”
Although I could see her greeting was sowhat performative, having certainly been told by her maid beforehand, I also sensed the genuine joy in her voice – which made it easier to shrug off the last bits of discomfort, in turn.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Thank you very much for letting use your study.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. What use are those books if all they do is sit there, collecting dust?”
Replying in a nonchalant tone, which nonetheless contained a well-hidden hint of satisfaction, the old woman - who looked around 50, by Earth standards - took her seat at the head of the table, which was large enough for 12 people.
I was seated to her right, with my back turned towards the door.
With the Sealsense barrier active, I managed to barely make out Ellena's steps, whose tily arrival was a testant to her impeccable professionalism, likely gained over years - or even decades - of service.
And yet, one sense the barrier did manage to fully conceal was sll, or rather, the plethora of delicious slls, instantly reaching my nostrils as the head (and seemingly only) maid passed the doorway.
“For today's lunch, I’ll be serving chicken breasts, slow-baked with red paprika, olive oil, a tinge of lemon juice, accompanied by whole muchi mushrooms and roasted-”
She paused her speech, as I noticed Anne's quick glance.
“No need for all that. This isn't so grand feast.”
As she waved her hand in dismissal, I managed to catch a faint trace of embarrassnt in her voice.
“I fear if we bore our guest with the full nu, all three of us will starve to death before we actually get to taste it.’
I didn't hear a reply, but I could imagine a respectful nod.
“Please, enjoy.”
With grace, and no visible effort, the maid lowered the massive tray on the table.
Even before they ca into view, I could already sll the roasted vegetables - a mix of sweet and regular potatoes - as well as the delicious at. Beside them were three different salads, two made of fresh vegetables, and one actually based on what slled very much mayonnaise, albeit a ho-made one, with eggs, green onion, and croutons mixed in.
“This slls incredible.”
Actually, I couldn’t even rember a al this delicious in this world. The only things that could compare were the few decent restaurants I went to on Earth, and maybe that ‘Silver Lotus’ restaurant, a na that only managed to etch itself into my mind due to its prohibitively high prices.
“If that's what you think now, wait until you taste it.”
The aged Wizard let out a small chuckle.. before turning her head in the direction of the maid's steps, which were steadily approaching the door.
“Where do you think you're going?”
“I.. thought to bring you so water.”
“Bring us so water.”
Anne's voice sounded almost scolding.
“I thought.. since you're finally…”
Her words trailed off, as she likely realized she said too much. Well, based on our earlier conversation, I could presu the last part was ‘having guests’, but I had the decency to pretend to be clueless.
“What nonsense is this? Did you think that you suddenly wouldn’t be welco at the table?”
Anne's partially theatrical response seed to contain so real astonishnt.
“I apologize. That was presumptuous of .”
I could imagine the maid bowing her head.
“Quite right it was.”
Anne did not show a shred of rcy. Although, I could spot the right side of her lips curving upwards for a fleeting mont.
“Then I shall return with our water.”
With those words, the maid left the room, if only temporarily.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
This ti, the embarrassnt in her voice was evident.
“No, that's fine.”
I waved my hands, in turn.
“...it would seem you have a very thoughtful head maid.”
I couldn't help but add the last part after two seconds of silence.
“Too thoughtful, at tis.”
Anne sighed, yet I could see my comnt managed to dispel the encroaching awkwardness.
“Now, let us eat. Knowing this woman, there’s no use in waiting. She'll be bringing that water for fifteen minutes, at the very least.”
Her tone was that of resignation, although yet another stealthy smile flickered montarily as she added the last part.
For a minute, we ate in silence.
Well, actually, I’ve missed breakfast again, only snacking with a few fruits on the way to Bern’s ‘hideout’, and it wasn’t a secret that my body began demanding more nutrition, ever since I reached the 2nd realm in the 3 physical attributes.
Resisting this kind of temptation was especially hard for – best I could do was maintain so table manners.
As for Anne, while she showed more restraint, this day had clearly left her hungry, as well. Wait, actually…
“Do logistic Wizards usually work on Respite?”
“No, not at all. It’s just.. well, you know.”
She threw a quick glance at my bandaged forearms, which once sported a pair of shields (one now discarded, the other waiting to be sold as tal scrap).
“Ah yes…”
I lowered my eyes for a mont. With my own - partially self-inflicted - problems, the full extent of the damage only started setting in earlier today.
“By the way… were you anywhere near the water purification facility yesterday?”
I raised my eyebrow in surprise.
“I was. How did you know?”
Anne’s eyebrow rose in surprise as well.
“So it really was you?”
“I went on a joint patrol that day. But, how did you even hear about it?”
“Our departnt has its work cut out for it for the next week or two. dals for the award ceremony are part of our job.”
“Ah…”
That made sense. After all, what departnt would a logistics Wizard be in?
“Still, when I heard the young man who accompanied Alrox to that facility was nad Sebastian, I thought it was just a coincidence.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Why would you ever do sothing so dangerous?”
“Well.. I…”
Honestly, had I known about the true extent of the danger I would face inside, I’d likely remain outside. Which, ironically, might have ended even worse, with Redclaw on the prowl nearby, reinforcents being farther away, and no way to properly outrun him in the large, open plaza.
The old lady shook her head.
“If you continue down this reckless path, one of those days, you’re going to get yourself killed. Sooner, rather than later.”
“It.. if I didn’t do it, Alrox would be the one to get himself killed.”
“That’s his job.”
Her tone was cold, although I did catch the montary hesitation in it.
“And I joined him on that patrol, so accompanying him was my job, too.”
I raised my eyes in defiance, locking them with Anne’s. After a few seconds, she sighed.
“The stubbornness of youth… Well, you probably did save his life, I’ll give you that.”
“Probably?..”
Didn’t she say she knew about my unexpected involvent there?
“There will be 5 ‘stages’ in the ceremony. It’s only one physical stage, by the way – that number refers to the award tiers. Regardless, as you can guess, there will be many adventurers receiving those awards, not just soldiers and guards.”
I nodded, while grabbing yet another delicious chicken breast from the big plate at the center.
“There’ll only be three individual adventurers, and one party, on the 4th stage. None on the 5th. And you’re one of them.”
This ti, the surprise on my face was palpable, with the juicy, fragrant piece of at at the end of my fork freezing mid-air.
“I have no idea what you and him did back there, but besides preventing a real catastrophe, you probably saved his life, too.”
“I…”
I felt my cheeks heat up, not knowing what to say. Even on Earth, I wasn’t that good at receiving praise, on the rare occasions I did receive it.
“Anyway, enough about that. There will be plenty of reminders of this attack in the coming days – no need to bring it to the lunch table.”
I quickly nodded, thankful for her graceful change of subject.
“I take it you studied the book from last ti?..”
“Yes!”
My reaction ca instantly, as my eyes probably lit up brighter than my Light Orb.
“Did any cantrips in that book catch your interest?”
“Yes. A few.”
I didn’t just spend the late morning / early afternoon practicing basic shapes. No, I actually went through the table of contents, and then, checked out dozens of different cantrips.
There were many that caught my attention, but, from what I learned, it’d be no use trying to focus on all of them. The ti I had was far from infinite, and moreover, those cantrips could also serve as the foundation for learning more advanced spells, those with similar concepts.
The choices I would make now would affect my path for months, likely years ahead.
“Good. Let us head upstairs after the al.”
We quickly finished the al, just in ti for Ellena to co back with a jug of water (only 10 minutes after the table was set).
“That’s fine. You can eat.”
As we were standing up, Anne motioned at the tray with the jug and glasses.
“Bring it upstairs after you’re done.”
As I followed Anne through the door, I could swear I saw the faintest of smiles flicker across Ellena’s stern face, although that might have been just my imagination.
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