It had been a few days since I\u2019d started learning magic from Raphael, but my tiny dark dot hadn\u2019t gotten any bigger. I hadn\u2019t made much progress on the Dark Covenant either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of things that I hadn\u2019t made progress with, I still hadn\u2019t discovered the identity of the other secret character in the game, the one I\u2019d learned about in my dream. One of them was Cezar, but the other one remained a mystery. Asking Maria hadn\u2019t helped so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to get my mind off all of the things that weren\u2019t going as well as I wished them to, I headed to the fields. Working on the crops always made me feel better\u2014that\u2019s why having a hobby you enjoy is so important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s some harvest we\u2019ve got here. What are you going to do with all this produce?\u201d I asked Cyrus, the field\u2019s owner and my farming mentor, as I admired the field full of ripe vegetables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSame as e\u2019ry year. Gon\u2019 get \u2019em to the orphanage,\u201d he replied while drying off the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. When Maria wasn\u2019t there he always let his guard down, and his accent showed through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWow! All of these?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back home, whenever I harvested vegetables, I split them between my friends, the servants, and the kitchen, and that was it. I\u2019d never donated them before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAin\u2019t nobody know \u2019bout this li\u2019l pastime o\u2019 mine here. Can\u2019t go round handin\u2019 out veggies left and right. I got this friend though; he done know \u2019bout it, so I give \u2019em to him and he brings \u2019em over to the orphanage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, that explains it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cyrus was born to a noble family in the countryside, and that was where he was raised until the age of fifteen, working the fields just like any other farmer. When he came to the capital to attend the academy, he took great care to mask his origins, and he did it so well that now everyone held him in high regard as a cool, aloof, and handsome guy. Little did they know that he spent his free time tilling the soil in the Ministry\u2019s outskirts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI heard that donations to the orphanage are mainly to be made in money. I didn\u2019t know that you could give them vegetables too,\u201d I explained, remembering what father told me about how he periodically donated money to orphanages and commoners\u2019 schools. He explained that doing so was expected of a good noble family. He also told me that, since different places have different needs, it was better to just donate money and let them decide how to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf yer from a fancy family like the Claes be, sure. But just \u2019cause yer a noble, don\u2019t mean ya got the coin to spare. Most folks give stuff \u2019stead of money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this world, it turned out, being a noble didn\u2019t necessarily mean that you were fabulously rich. Back at the academy, some of my younger schoolmates from the student council said that they couldn\u2019t even afford a dress for the ball. If Cyrus\u2019s family had to work the fields, that must have meant that they weren\u2019t as wealthy as the Claes family. I had been generalizing a bit too much. This also meant that donating vegetables wouldn\u2019t have been weird, and I thought that maybe, next time, I could donate some of the yield from my own crop too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t tell \u2019em I\u2019m a noble o\u2019 course. Up here in the city nobles don\u2019t donate no greens. I tell \u2019em I\u2019m a merchant,\u201d Cyrus added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it is a bit weird for a noble to donate vegetables after all.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you tell them you\u2019re a merchant…does that mean that you actually deliver the vegetables yourself?\u201d I asked, surprised. I had assumed he\u2019d have a friend, or someone else, do it in his stead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2019Course I do. I done water these here crops with my own sweat and blood. I gotta make sure they get where they ought.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cM-Mister Cyrus, that sounds so cool! I totally get what you mean!\u201d I agreed with him, moved by his passion. As a farmer, you can\u2019t help but be worried about your little vegetable babies! I always even worried about how people cooked them, and if they liked them.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYa do?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We nodded at each other in an emotional moment of understanding, mentor to mentee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI reckon \u2018s about time we harvest, and then I can deliver \u2019em on my next free day,\u201d he said as he looked at the field with love in his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSay… Would it be okay if I tagged along for the delivery?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? Sure, I don\u2019t mind,\u201d he answered, a bit surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYay!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having helped with the farming, I also wanted to make sure that the vegetables, one could say, got where they ought,<\/em> but there was another reason why I was so happy about being able to go with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust know that, since we gon\u2019 go like merchants, the folks there won\u2019t be treatin\u2019 us like nobles. And the li\u2019l ones always come \u2019round asking to play with \u2019em. That fine with you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMore than fine!\u201d I replied with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had done my fair share of pretending to be a commoner (in order to learn about farming), and I loved playing with children. If anything, a few times I\u2019d been scolded for playing too hard.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHmm… Checks out, I guess,\u201d he pondered, staring at the kerchief I was wearing over my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus and I then promised to meet on our next free day to deliver the vegetables to the orphanage. Having that to look forward to made me feel much better about all the stuff that was going wrong in my life. I was very excited at the idea of this new experience\u2014pretending to be a merchant and going to the orphanage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had been to an orphanage before, but that was for official visits as part of the Claes family. Only the most well-behaved, slightly older children had come to see us, and they were all very stiff, since they knew they were dealing with nobles. They had also cleaned up the place and only showed us around the best parts, probably to give us a good impression. In a sense, my next one was going to be my first proper visit to the orphanage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After graduating from the academy and starting to work at the Ministry, I realized how little I knew about this world surrounding me. With so little knowledge, even if I managed to escape death and imprisonment and was exiled from the kingdom, I wouldn\u2019t be able to make it by myself. So far, I\u2019d only been able to enjoy the fields and the harbor as a (pretend) commoner, but now I needed to see the city as a whole, including the orphanage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I didn\u2019t want to be a spoiled, pampered noble lady who knew nothing about real life. I wanted to be able to hold my own in this tough world, and in order to do that I needed more knowledge and more experience, as a commoner and as a farmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This vegetable delivery is the perfect chance!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was so grateful to Cyrus that I wanted to thank him in some way. My usual go-to thank-you gifts were sweets, which he didn\u2019t like that much, and vegetables, which he had no shortage of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, that\u2019s right! He\u2019d probably like it if I invited Maria! I\u2019m sure he\u2019d enjoy chatting with her while we go and deliver those vegetables, and they\u2019ll have a lot of opportunities to talk there, as opposed to here in the fields. Perfect. I\u2019ll go with that.<\/em> Before long, it was time to go to the orphanage with Cyrus. He was standing, his face wrinkled up, next to three carriages lit by the morning sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKatarina Claes, do you have a moment?\u201d he addressed me. I walked toward him, fully aware that he was mad at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll go straight to the issue. How did this<\/em> happen?\u201d he inquired, pointing at a spot not far away where my friends were happily chatting with each other. It was Keith, Jeord, his brother Alan, Alan\u2019s fianc\u00e9e Mary, Sophia and her brother Nicol, and Maria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All seven of them were dressed up as merchants, ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell… I told my brother that I was going to go, and he said that he wanted to come with me because he was worried I might get in trouble,\u201d I explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI imagine that your brother would say that. Having someone to look after you certainly helps,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs for Maria, I invited her for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor me?!\u201d he shouted, blushing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought it was a good opportunity for the two of you to get to know each other better…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t remember ever asking you to do anything like that!\u201d he yelped, but I totally saw him smile when he noticed that Maria was there. \u201cA-Anyway, that explains your brother and Maria. But what about the rest? Why are the princes and the chancellor\u2019s children here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou see, I ran into Sophia and Mary right as I was inviting Maria, and since we\u2019d promised to meet on our next free day, they decided to come with us too… And the others just kind of invited themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing how busy Jeord, Alan, and Nicol always were, I was genuinely surprised that they\u2019d come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFine… We can\u2019t tell them to go home now that they\u2019re all here. There\u2019s enough noble blood in this party to run a whole country, but the place we are going to isn\u2019t that dangerous anyway…\u201d he mumbled to himself while he held his hand to his forehead. \u201cBut there\u2019s one more thing I need to ask you,\u201d he added. \u201cHow did you explain all of these vegetables to them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry! I just said that someone had a lot of extra vegetables that they needed to get rid of and they asked you to deliver them!\u201d I knew how much Cyrus wanted to keep his hobby secret, and I\u2019d never tell a soul about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see…\u201d he intoned, staring into nothingness with blank eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As our \u201clittle talk\u201d was over, we approached the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keith, Jeord, Mary, and Alan were all talking together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know well how much your important duties keep you busy, Prince Jeord, and you really should not bother with such trivialities as looking after my sister. My protection will more than suffice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would never relinquish the task of protecting my fianc\u00e9e to another man, my dear Keith.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSorry to interrupt you two, but why is Prince Jeord here in the first place today? I don\u2019t recall any of us inviting him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Mary, that\u2019s delightful. You truly believe yourself to be the only one constantly gathering information about Katarina? And don\u2019t forget that my little brother is a terrible liar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPrince Alan! You gave information to the enemy?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t tell him anything… Wait, did you say \u2018enemy\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAsking the servants proved to be enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou sneaky, treacherous…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you, who always uses Alan to spy on me, really one to talk?\u201d A few steps away, Maria, Sophia, and Nicol were talking while standing around some sort of box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, is that our lunch box?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. My brother was so excited by this that he started preparing it last night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe can also cook? That is incredible!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot at all. I\u2019ve just helped out the cooks a bit. Feel free to try it, Maria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMay I? It\u2019s an honor.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re ready to leave!\u201d I shouted to everyone, waving my arms around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVery well. Here, Katarina,\u201d Jeord said, offering me his hand. I appreciated how princely he always was, but I had other plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Jeord, I have to attend to some matters with Maria,\u201d I told him, before going over to her and elegantly offering her my hand, just as Jeord had done with me, to escort her to the carriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She stared at me with a confused look on her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hmm? Did I do anything weird?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBig Sister,\u201d Keith whispered to me, \u201cexactly what mischief are you planning this time around?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMischief? Please!\u201d I whispered back. \u201cI just want to help Cyrus find love. I must make Maria sit in the same carriage as him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, I see…\u201d Keith, although surprised, seemed to be convinced by my explanation. \u201cBut I think he\u2019s onto your plan. He\u2019s sitting next to the coachman,\u201d he continued, and when I turned around to look at the carriage, I saw that, indeed, Cyrus had decided to ride on<\/em> the carriage instead of in <\/em>it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hurried toward him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMister Cyrus! Why are you sitting over there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought that I could help with directions, since I\u2019m so familiar with the road to the orphanage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s very kind of you, but I think your time would be best spent inside<\/em> the carriage, with Maria! I\u2019m sure she wants to chat with you too!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLady Katarina, do you really expect me to spend such a long time in such a confined space, alone with such a beautiful girl? I couldn\u2019t. I would probably pass out. I refuse,\u201d he protested, without giving me the time to talk back to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I could tell from his face that he wasn\u2019t joking either, so I had to give up. I realized that Cyrus was even less comfortable around girls than I had ever imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve baked these sweets for you. Please have them,\u201d Maria said, handing me a basket full of delicious-looking goodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHave this too.\u201d Mary showed us a kettle. \u201cIt\u2019s tea I brewed this morning from specially grown tea leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease accept this too. These are some romance novels I am sure you would love,\u201d Sophia added as she dropped a large and clearly heavy bag in front of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was grateful to all of them\u2014the sweets looked tasty, the tea smelled wonderful, and the novels sounded interesting. I just thought they\u2019d all gone overboard with the amounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus was still determined to sit with the coachman, so the rest of us split up, with boys in one carriage and girls in the other. My \u201chelp the great-with-work-but-terrible-with-girls Cyrus get comfortable around Maria\u201d plan failed, but I was happy that I could spend some time chatting with my friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you, everyone! Let\u2019s eat!\u201d I cheered, and we all shared Maria\u2019s sweets, which turned out to be as yummy as they looked, and Mary\u2019s tea, which had the perfect light taste to complement them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was actually very hungry, since I\u2019d had to wake up very early and hadn\u2019t had time to eat breakfast. Now happy and fed, we started talking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNicol was so excited! He even prepared food that we could eat while traveling. Feel free to partake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid your brother make this? He\u2019s so good!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI had a taste earlier, and it was very delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s really a man of many talents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs he not? My brother can do just anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou really love him, don\u2019t you, Sophia?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course. Oh, but I love you too, Katarina!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAw, thank you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLady Sophia, please don\u2019t make it sound like you are alone in that. I love Katarina just as much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThanks, Mary!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cM-Me too. I also love Lady Katarina very much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you too, Maria! I love all of you back!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cL-Lady Katarinaaa!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cM-Mary?! Why are you hugging me all of a sudden?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSorry! I could not control myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo problem. The food is safe. I managed not to drop anything!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had a lot of fun riding together, enjoying some time between girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I just have to remember to compliment Nicol. This is <\/em>delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n\n\n How did it come to this?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I, Jeord Stuart, let out a sigh as I gazed upon my fellow coach riders. My younger brother Alan was there, as was Katarina\u2019s brother Keith, and Nicol, the chancellor\u2019s son. I had known all of them for at least ten years now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It all started when I noticed Alan\u2019s recent behavior: I could not tell why, but he was clearly acting strangely, as if he was nervous. I started questioning the servants, which led me to discover that he was planning an excursion with his fianc\u00e9e Mary. This was already suspicious, as the two of them almost never met alone if not on official business, and even overlooking that, Alan had no reason to be nervous about it. I kept looking into the matter, and as expected, the aforementioned excursion was to also include Katarina and her other friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This, in a sense, explained Alan\u2019s nervousness: Mary had probably told him to keep their plans a secret from me, and, at the same time, to spy on me too for good measure. My brother, being little more than a docile servant to his fianc\u00e9e, would surely have obeyed. This was clearly a mistake on Mary\u2019s part however, as that responsibility had weighed on Alan so much that I ended up finding out what he was trying to hide. She had sadly overestimated his ability to lie and deceive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Owing to this, I successfully invited myself to the excursion which, originally, was meant to involve everyone except me. I imagined myself sitting next to my dear Katarina, but…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh! You really cooked this yourself, Nicol?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWow. This looks delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI only just helped the cooks, really… But do try it out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith pleasure… Oh! It is<\/em> delicious!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll try one too then… I must say, Nicol, you\u2019re incredible. I didn\u2019t know cooking was one of your skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alan and Keith were eating what Nicol had prepared. He received their compliments without changing his expression, but I could somehow feel how pleased he was. I personally had not been able to eat breakfast that morning, as our departure was set very early so that we might help with this delivery. Bringing food for everyone was a very considerate thing to do, but at the same time, the weirdness of the situation\u2014two men happily praising another man\u2019s food while riding together in a small carriage\u2014irked me to no end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once again, I had to ask myself how things had come to this, and I thought back on what had happened earlier. Katarina, refusing my offer to escort her, took Maria with her. Keith then said something to her, and Katarina ran toward Cyrus Lanchester. I could not hear their conversation, but, after talking with Cyrus, Katarina looked disappointed. I tried to approach her so that I could relieve her of that disappointment, but some of my powerful rivals spoke before I could. They offered her gifts of food, drink, and entertainment, quickly turning her frown into a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s have Maria\u2019s sweets with this tea then. We four girls should ride together,\u201d Mary told her, smiling as well. Sophia seemed to agree, which meant that her brother, who was sickeningly attached to her, automatically agreed with the idea as well. As a result, all of us non-girls had no choice but to ride together in a different carriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maria, who had been escorted by Katarina moments earlier for some mysterious reason, seemed enthusiastic at the idea of sharing the trip with her friend, although she probably had no ulterior motive. Someone who definitely had ulterior motives was Mary Hunt, who sent me a gaze full of mockery and satisfaction. I could imagine the four of them having fun riding together, chatting and enjoying their tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you spacing out for, Jeord? Come back down from the clouds and try Nicol\u2019s lunch. It\u2019s amazing,\u201d Alan remarked while grabbing more food out of the lunch box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing his nonchalantly happy expression annoyed me so much that I hit him on the head with the side of my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOuch! What are you doing?! Look! I dropped it!\u201d he grumbled, hurrying to pick up the food that was now on the floor. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Nicol…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it,\u201d Nicol replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease excuse my stupid brother,\u201d I added, as was my responsibility, and Alan stared at me with contempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s all your fault!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou should have been more careful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI swear, Jeord…!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keith, meanwhile, was looking for something inside of his bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHere, Alan, you can throw the food away in this bag. And use this handkerchief to clean your hands,\u201d he declared, handing my brother those two items. Alan, in response, looked at him, shocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWow, do you always go out prepared like this? What are you, a housewife?\u201d Alan shot back with a hint of sarcasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s just… I\u2019m used to this kind of thing,\u201d Keith replied, looking down in embarrassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKeith would make a wonderful mother. Anyone would want someone like him as their wife,\u201d Nicol complimented, or maybe insulted, him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alan burst into laughter, and Keith shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNicol, you might have noticed that I am a man. I could never be a mother, and I have no plans to become anyone\u2019s wife either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see. That is a shame,\u201d Nicol, dead serious, replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTruly a shame,\u201d Alan agreed, still laughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My first free day in so long, and I had to spend it not with Katarina, exchanging sweet words of love, but with these three men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All in all though… I could enjoy that for what it was. Years ago I would have hated every moment of this trip, but maybe I had changed. I welcomed change, as it helped expand my horizons. And the catalyst for my change, of course, was Katarina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I deemed it a good time to join whatever was going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShould you ever change your mind and become someone\u2019s wife, Keith, just let me know. As your brother-in-law, I will happily provide you with the most beautiful wedding gown in the whole kingdom,\u201d I promised with a smile, and Keith furrowed his brow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI need no gown! And I do not see you becoming my brother-in-law either!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAw, what are you saying now? I will marry Katarina, which will make me your brother-in-law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strangely, Alan reacted to my words before Keith himself did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh… So Keith would become my younger brother-in-law…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlan! Do not join him in his delusions!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut isn\u2019t that the truth? You are <\/em>younger than both of us…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course I am younger than both of you, but you\u2019re missing the point!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It had been a long time since the four of us had all been together. It was a noisy, rowdy trip…but I enjoyed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The coachman announced the end of our trip, and we left the carriage, finding ourselves in a relatively wide garden. A path led to a large building\u2014most likely, the orphanage. The building itself was bigger than the orphanages I\u2019d seen in the capital, but, other than that, it wasn\u2019t that different. Orphanages in Sorci\u00e9 were run by the country and financed with regular donations from nobles, so they were usually clean and well-kept. The children there went to school, and after graduation, the orphanage would recommend them for various jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An old woman was walking in our direction, coming from the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you for coming this year too. We appreciate it a lot,\u201d she greeted Cyrus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t need to come all the way here to meet us\u2014thank you. These here are the people that I told you would be coming with me to help,\u201d Cyrus said, pointing at us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh my, that is quite a few more than I had expected. All the better! My name is Maggie, and I run this orphanage. It is a pleasure to meet you all,\u201d the woman spoke with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before coming here, Cyrus had told me that the orphanage\u2019s director\u2014the woman who was now in front of us\u2014was the only one to know about his true identity. It was safe to assume that she also knew about us, but if she did, she certainly didn\u2019t let it show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s bring those veggies in, shall we?\u201d she asked us with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since there were so many of us, the carriages were empty in no time. However, Maggie wanted us to help with something else… Something surprising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have to teach the kids?\u201d I asked Cyrus, shocked, and he nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOrphanages send the children to school, but they do not have the resources to hire individual tutors. That is why, whenever a guest stops by, they usually stay a little longer to help out the children with their homework, or to teach them about sewing and other housework. I personally do it every time I come. Knowledge is paramount to a successful future for these orphans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this world, or at least in wealthy and advanced Sorci\u00e9, everyone went to school, where they could all take the same classes. However, there was no individual tutoring, nor were there any classes about sewing, cooking, or any other skill like that. You would need someone to teach you those things outside of school, so what Cyrus had said made sense, except for the fact that I\u2019d never seen anything like that on my official visits to orphanages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus shrugged when I asked him about it. \u201cDo you really think they would ask nobles to do it? That would make the children so nervous that they wouldn\u2019t learn anything anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He has a point. I know I\u2019d be nervous if I were a commoner meeting a noble. That being said, I had no idea we\u2019d have to help the children study…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will be helping them with homework, as I always do,\u201d Cyrus told us. \u201cWhat about you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will do the same. I do not know enough about sewing or cooking to be able to teach anyone,\u201d Nicol replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI believe I could teach them sewing,\u201d Sophia interjected, timidly raising her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMe too. I know a bit about sewing myself,\u201d Mary declared. I knew that not to be true, however, since she knew everything<\/em> about sewing. They didn\u2019t call her the lady among ladies for no reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI could teach them cooking, although I\u2019m not exactly an expert,\u201d Maria, who definitely<\/em> was an expert, humbly followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou two are very good teachers. Won\u2019t you join me in overseeing the children\u2019s homework?\u201d Nicol asked Jeord and Keith, who quickly nodded in agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wow, everyone\u2019s already decided what they want to do. As for me…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay then, I\u2019ll go with Maria and teach the children how t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBig Sister, no. No cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe orphanage probably needs their kitchen, Katarina.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keith and Jeord stopped me right in my tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aw, c\u2019mon… I only destroyed the academy\u2019s kitchen by accident! Well, and the kitchen in Claes Manor too, but that was also an accident! I cook without any accidents <\/em>most of the time…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I can\u2019t help children with homework, and the last time I tried sewing I gave myself sutures! Cooking is the only thing I could help with!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I only barely made it through the academy with average grades thanks to my smart friends, and as mother always said, letting me sew was a very good way to turn fabric and thread into garbage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTh-That\u2019s true… There\u2019s not much you could teach children…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is that pity in your eyes, Keith?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou should take care of cheering us on, Katarina.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That doesn\u2019t count as helping, Jeord…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was sure that I was able to do something<\/em> useful, and I asked Maggie whether I could help with cleaning or doing the laundry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe already have people hired to do that…\u201d She thought for a while. \u201cOh! Of course!\u201d she then said, clapping her hands together. \u201cWhy do I have to come with you and play with children?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou said it yourself, Alan: you aren\u2019t great at teaching things to others,\u201d I explained to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had noticed how, while all the others were going ahead and proposing to do this or that, he had looked anything but enthusiastic. Of course, I took advantage of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSure, I\u2019m not great, but that doesn\u2019t mean I have nothing<\/em> to teach them…unlike you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, now, don\u2019t make a fuss. We\u2019re going to play with children! What\u2019s not to like?\u201d I answered brightly, trying to stop his grumbling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Children who were too young to go to school played amongst themselves under adult supervision, Maggie explained, but they really had a lot of fun whenever an adult actually played with them, and so she asked us to indulge them. That was definitely something even I could do, so I gladly accepted, bringing Alan with me because, one, he had said that he wasn\u2019t great at teaching, and, two, being the only adult there wouldn\u2019t be as fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The others, when they heard that I was going to play with children, suddenly decided that they wanted to do that too. It was no surprise that they\u2019d rather play than teach. However, Maggie told them that they didn\u2019t need that many people for such an easy task, and they had to give up. I could see the envious looks they were pointing at Alan though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll do their share of playing too then!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, what kind of game do you want to play?\u201d I asked the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was told that the children often played indoors, but, since we had such good weather today, we could go out in the garden. The place reminded me of the playground in my previous life\u2019s school, except that it was covered in well-trimmed, soft grass so that the children wouldn\u2019t hurt themselves falling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All the kids looked like they were used to having adult guests, so they immediately took to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTag!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA race! I wanna race!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s do hide-and-seek!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They all sounded enthusiastic, but they couldn\u2019t agree on a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay then! We\u2019ll play all those games one at a time. Let\u2019s start with tag,\u201d I announced, and I struck a menacing pose. \u201cI\u2019m it! And I\u2019m gonna get youuu! Run for your liiiife!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWahhh!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHahaha!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeeek!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The children, amused, started running in every direction, and I chased after them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re just little children. I\u2019m going to catch all of them in no time,<\/em> I thought, but…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGotcha!\u201d I said, putting my arms around a girl so small that she barely reached my waist. She was squealing with delight, but I was almost out of breath. They were a bunch of swift young whippersnappers, that\u2019s for sure. I wouldn\u2019t have had any problem had it been one or two, but with so many of them this was getting to be a real workout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have to do something…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I saw Alan, who was looking at our game of tag without participating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlan! Join us!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? Me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho else? You came here to play with the children, so come and play!\u201d I invited, trying to force an unenthusiastic Alan to help me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEveryone! Now, you\u2019ll have to run from both me and him!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The children were very excited at the news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI never agreed t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPerfect! Let\u2019s start!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSheesh… Fine, whatever. I\u2019m going to catch everyone in no time!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alan started running after the children, and he was exceptional\u2014he really caught one after the other. I couldn\u2019t let him do all the work though. I saw him chasing a very quick boy, so I headed for the direction where the two were going and hid behind a tree, planning an ambush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHehe! You can\u2019t catch me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUgh! You fast little…!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAha! You fell into my trap!\u201d I shouted when the two were close enough to the tree, and I jumped out toward them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh! That was close,\u201d the kid exclaimed, swiftly dodging out of the way and past my side. Unfortunately, it was too late for me to stop, and I ended up running straight into Alan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEek!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGahh!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I heard Alan scream, and I anticipated a painful fall to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hmm? That wasn\u2019t painful at all.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I opened my eyes, instead of the green grass, I saw something pink. Instead of the flat terrain I was expecting, behind me I could feel all sorts of bumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWould you get off already?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I heard Alan speak directly into my ear, and, when I looked more closely, I realized that the pink thing I saw before me was his face. When I looked around even more, I realized that I was not resting on the ground at all. I was resting on Alan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It had been a few days since I\u2019d started learning magic from Raphael, but my tiny dark dot hadn\u2019t gotten any bigger. I hadn\u2019t made much progress on the Dark Covenant either. Speaking of things that I hadn\u2019t made progress with, I still hadn\u2019t discovered the identity of the other secret character in the game, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tak-berkategori"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3663"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3664,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3663\/revisions\/3664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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