“I have a proposal.”
On the eve before Linus’ departure from Vailee, Elric lay sound asleep upstairs, and Linus spoke comfortably as he sat across from Maurim, Elia, and Serena in the small kitchen of the inn.
“Maurim should follow me to the capital and work as my subordinate in the palace.”
The three across from Linus wore matching expressions of shock.
“What?!” Maurim finally managed to exclaim.
“It’s exactly as I said. You should follow me and establish your skills in the royal palace.”
“That’s…” Maurim could hardly believe such an opportunity was being presented to him. “But I’m a neric!”
“I can’t promise you won’t face discrimination, but I can say that there’s no law that prevents a neric from working in the palace.”
Maurim’s mind raced. Was this real life? Just days ago, he felt embarrassed about being compared to Lord Carlisle.
“Maurim…” Elia gently touched her husband’s arm.
Right! My family!
Maurim hung his head low, his black hair covering his eyes. “My family… I can’t leave them behind.”
Linus gently smoothed his beard before speaking. “I have another offer. Though, it’s not necessarily a solution.”
“What is it?” asked a curious Elia.
Linus shifted his gaze from Maurim to her. “I’m quite close to the head maid of the palace. There’s a maid position open. Elia, you could fill that role; however, you will need something to stand out from the other applicants.”
“I…” Elia’s voice slightly wavered. “I can read and write.”
Would you look at that? Linus thought. Both husband and wife are geniuses in their own way. The literacy rate is low even among commoners, but this neric here can read and write.
“But! It’s like Maurim said—we can’t leave our family behind. Elric is still a child,” Elia concluded. Maurim nodded in agreement.
“I knew you were going to say that,” Linus said with a defeated sigh. Why would parents want to separate from their child?
“I think you guys should go.”
Surprised, everyone quickly looked towards Serena, who appeared deep in thought.
“Huh? Why do you say that, Serena?” asked Maurim.
“It’s just that if both of you guys go, that’s a lot more money to save and send for Elric. We could fix the state of the inn and not have a repeat of what happened last winter.”
Upon the mention of last winter, both Elia and Maurim put their heads down in shame. Unable to buy warmer clothing because of their poverty, Elric almost had to amputate three fingers due to frostbite. It was a time that no one wanted to be reminded of.
“You’re right,” Maurim replied. “But if we go, you’ll be the one taking care of him. We can’t ask that of you.”
Serena gave the couple a gentle smile. “I already see Elric as my son.”
Elia erupted in tears as she clutched her best friend’s left hand, while Maurim fell to his knees, holding Serena’s right.
“Thank you, Serena! Thank you!”
And so, the night concluded with the Sinclair couple agreeing to travel with Linus to the capital.
* * *
Linus’ last day in Vailee had finally arrived. The day’s schedule wasn’t that much different from the preceding days, and Linus was satisfied with the tranquil mood that enveloped the village in the hours before his departure.
Linus wasn’t the only one to take notice of the tranquil mood. Elric, perceptive since the moment he woke up, detected the unusually relaxed nature of the day. His parents had gone out of their way to pamper him. They served him silkberry pie for breakfast, played with him, and hadn’t nagged at him once.
The air carried an unspoken tension, and Elric couldn’t shake the feeling that a significant event was on the verge of unfolding. With the hours ticking away, the village seemed to hold its breath, mirroring the anticipation that had silently settled over Elric’s family.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the villagers gathered to express their gratitude and bid Linus a fond farewell. Despite his brief stay, Linus had interacted with all members of the village and, like Elric, introduced them to the world of magic. The villagers couldn’t help but convey their appreciation. After all, Linus was the first non-neric to treat them as people.
Soon, all who were left were Elric, his parents, Linus, and Serena.
“Elric…” It was Elia who spoke first: “Mommy and Daddy are going to go work with Lord Carlisle.”
Elric blinked. Did Mr. Linus steal his parents?
“We’ll make sure to visit you on your birthday every year,” Maurim reassured.
Instinctively, Elric grabbed the hem of his mother’s dress, sensing that if he let go, he wouldn’t wake up with his parents right beside him. Strange. All of this was strange to him.
Elia bent down and tenderly rubbed the beauty mark beneath Elric’s right eye. It was a gesture she often made to comfort him. With his small hand, Elric reciprocated by tracing the same beauty mark beneath his mother’s eye.
Maurim enveloped the two in a warm embrace, symbolizing their silent promise of unconditional love.
Once Elric’s parents had composed themselves, they each gave Serena a hug before walking towards the exit of Vailee. Linus, who had been silently watching the whole time, reached down to grab Elric’s hands.
“Thank you, Elric.”
Elric gave Linus a curt nod before running and hiding behind Serena’s legs. Linus smiled at the familiar sight and then turned around, making his way towards the exit. Once all three were out of sight, Elric tugged at the bottom of Serena’s dress.
“Yes Elric?”
“Since mommy and daddy are gone, will you marry me now?”
Serena picked up and carried the pitiful boy.
“Let’s go to bed.”
As they walked home, the back of Serena’s dress became damp with tears.
* * *
6 years later.
CRASH!
“You idiot!”
Count Simmons had hurled a small glass cup towards his eldest son, Leonard.
Leonard casually tilted his neck to avoid the collision.
“Are you incapable of maintaining a good image?! Why must you get caught harassing the young lady of House Violet, and by that bastard Claude of all people?! Ughh!”
CRASH!
The mere recollection of the events reignited the count’s anger.
“You’re lucky that we were able to shut that bitch and her greedy father up with money. Don’t you dare try this again!”
Leonard met his father’s scolding with a bored expression. This was a common occurrence. Leonard would cause trouble; it would be relayed to the count; the count would yell at him and repeat.
Frankly, it was becoming quite tiring. To mirror his mental fatigue, Leonard inadvertently let out a yawn.
Another furious vein bulged on the count’s bald head. “I must be a joke to you,” he concluded sharply.
His twelve-year-old son maintained his disinterested gaze.
“Alright, let’s try something different then,” the count muttered. He began to go through the countless sprawled-out documents on his desk before settling on one. “As punishment, go inspect the neric village on the outskirts of the fiefdom in three days. Those bastards have been causing a commotion about the expansion of the estate. Go settle them down.”
“What?! Father!” It was the first time Leonard had spoken since he entered his father’s office. “Why should I have to go deal with those barbarians? Can’t you just send a knight inste–”
“Leonard!” interrupted the count. Unlike his usual hotheaded but predictable demeanor, he was now actually serious about punishing his son.
Tsk.
Should I just kill him? Leonard considered. Having awakened as an auror at the age of six and boasting a silver-rank mana core, he was a talent above talents—an existence that hadn’t appeared in House Simmons in hundreds of years. Surely he could easily rid himself of his annoying father.
No, killing father now would only cause more problems than solutions, he resolved.
“Fine,” Leonard answered defiantly. Snatching the document from his father’s hand, he briskly headed toward the door. “I’ll excuse myself.”
In a foul mood due to his father’s sudden need for discipline, Leonard felt his hand itching to relieve the newly acquired stress.
Once outside his father’s office, he encountered Bailey, his primary servant, who, noting the tension in his master’s eyes, nervously swallowed as he was about to deliver unfortunate news.
“Young master,” he started cautiously, “your toy… has broken again.”
“What?!” An infuriated Leonard lashed out, knocking over the flower vase in front of his father’s office. “Again?!”
Damn it! Nothing’s going my way today, he mused, frustrated. Disregarding Bailey, Leonard swiftly proceeded towards the secret dungeon inside the Simmons manor. Upon arrival, his lifeless “toy” lay sprawled on the frigid concrete floor.
“What happened this time?”
Bailey, following closely behind, answered, “It’s the same as the previous toys, young master. Their body couldn’t withstand the impact of your attacks.”
These weak things! How am I supposed to practice my full strength in swordsmanship and relieve stress if they always die within a month?!
Unable to restrain himself any longer, Leonard vented all his accumulated frustration onto the lifeless body of an orphaned commoner boy he had kidnapped. The violence was so severe that Bailey had no choice but to look away.
After what felt like an eternity, Leonard ceased the assault, his fists drenched in blood.
“Clean this up, Bailey.”
“Yes, young master.”
The brutal beating seemed to clear Leonard’s mind. Taking a seat, he wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and a cruel smirk slowly crept onto his face.
“I worry too much. I just need to get a new one.”
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