5 Dinner

They ate in silence. The food was delicious and probably very expensive. However, Loki couldn't be bothered. She ate to her heart's content.

Clara and John were since long finished with their food. They sat in silence and watched as Loki filled her stomach with all kinds of delicacies.

It didn't take to much time for Loki to finish her meal. Yet during that short time, she managed to eat a lot. She dried her mouth with a napkin and leaned back in her chair.

As soon as she placed down her cutlery, she could feel Benjamin closing in on her from behind. It was the same type of feeling when she perceived him outside her room.

"Thank you for the food, and please excuse my manners while eating. I haven't eaten in a while and am not too familiar with fancy courtesy." Loki said to both John and Clara.

She could feel it herself as she gulped down the different kinds of food on the table. She wasn't feeling very ladylike.

"Don't worry about it" John shrugged his shoulders as he poured a cup of water to himself. "You must have been hungry?"

"Very," Loki answered. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Right." John took a sip of his water. "Do you know why you are here?"

"Not really," Loki had been left in the dark on a lot by God.

"Figured as much... I'll take it from the start then." John put down his cup and looked Loki in the eyes.

"Our family, and yours now, go back in time as a family famous for raising several talented mages. When a family parents several mages that graduate from the Academies, they will also receive more land from the government. Mages that graduate is obligated to help the country's military in times of need. Therefore, the government will treat families with mages better. By doing so, they are making them feel indebted towards the government and securing their help if required.

Therefore, when a family with a lot of lands starts to lose mages. The amount of land under their name will decrease. The same happens with the amount of money they make through taxes.

To put it shortly, the number of mages within a family decides how powerful that family becomes." John's gaze turned to Clara as he finished his sentence.

Loki was starting to figure out where this was going. It was very apparent to see that Loki had ended up in a family with a lot of power. She figured out pretty quickly why she was there but chose to keep listening anyway.

John continued from where he had stopped.

"Our family were until a couple of years ago blessed with two beautiful children. They were both born and raised as powerful mages. But the war that our country currently is fighting took them both away."

Loki could see the grief in John's face as he spoke about his children. He went on to reveal how the two of them had fought and died for their country. He also revealed how their power decreased directly after their death.

"As for the last two mages of our family, they are both sitting here. We have both retired from the military after several years of service. We both were part of the medical staff. I was a surgeon, and Clara was a field doctor.

But enough about us. You are probably wondering why you are here. But before I explain why. I want to hear your thoughts. Why do you think you are here?" John put his hands together under his chin as he leaned forward, waiting for Loki's response.

Loki had been listening keenly to his story and was a bit overwhelmed by all of the sudden information. She organized the main points in her head.

*They are a family who decreased in power due to the government's treatment. They used to have two children. Mages equals power. They had both retired. And lastly, the government started the war in which both of their children lost their life.* Loki saw these as the main points. She thought that the reason why she was there was pretty apparent based on what they had said.

She spoke as soon as she had arranged her thoughts.

"I think that you want to take revenge on the government. I don't know how you plan to do that, but that is the conclusion I came to after listening to your story." Loki looked into John's eyes as she spoke.

"What makes you think that?" John's eyes narrowed down to a slit.

"Well, you have only pointed out the bad things about the government. Both of you would be fine without having to adopt me. You probably resent the government for taking away both your children. And lastly, for taking away a large part of your resources as soon as your children passed." Loki spoke directly to John. However, she was quite perplexed about how she came to that conclusion.

A wide smile formed on both John and Clara's lips. They looked at each other as they started to laugh.

After a while when they both had calmed down, Clara spoke to Loki,

"How did you know that? God, you are incredible. Not just are you blessed with an extraordinary talent for magic. But you also managed to figure out our intentions from that vague story?"

"I don't know," Loki chuckled and scratched the back of her head.

"Well... Will you help us?" John killed the happy atmosphere with a single question.

"I'll play along for some time. But I want to see the government's action with my own eyes. I won't follow whatever plan you have if I think what you are doing is wrong." Loki answered firmly.

She had already decided on this cause of action since she figured out their true intentions. She knew that more benefits would follow if she followed their plan. If she didn't, they would probably kick her out. Also, her gut told them they were good people.

"You'll realize that we are the good guys here once you see the things the government does. I'm not worried about that." Clara said as she stood up from her place. "First thing tomorrow morning, I'll teach you a bit about mana and magic."

Loki's eyes lit up with excitement as she heard the words mana and magic. She watched as Clara and John both left the dining-room.

Loki reached with both her arms towards the ceiling, stretching her back and upper body. She stood up and pushed in the chair against the table before taking the short walk back to her room. Eager to go to sleep.