Chapter 36

Nathan and the others walked inside, and they were greeted by the Headmaster in charge,

"Greetings, Young Master, Young Miss. I am Headmaster Tallis, at your service." The middle-aged man bowed slightly, as he greeted them with respect.

"Good day to you, Headmaster Tallis. Please see to the accommodation of these children. Also please call for a doctor to visit them. we will discuss the rules and details of this orphanage later." Nathan said.

"I understand, Young Master. Leave everything to me." Headmaster Tallis immediately got to work, gently helping the children, while Sophie also joined him, leaving Nathan and Nitis alone.

Nathan nodded and turned to Nitis, "Thanks to your help, we were able to safely bring the children to safety. Here is your reward."

Nathan gave him a pouch, with 10 Gold Coins inside! A Gold Coin was worth 100 Silver Coins and a Silver Coin was worth 100 Bronze Coins. A Silver Coin was enough to last Nitis and his mother many months, if spent sparingly, yet now, he was suddenly rich!

…but Nitis only stared at the coins, seemingly deep in thought,

"I thought about what I want to do a lot in the past few days when I helped you, and after thinking about it a lot, I have finally made my decision. May I choose my reward myself? I do not want the money." Nitis said with such resolution which surprised Nathan! That much money was enough to secure a bright and easy future for both him and his Mother, yet he was now refusing it!

"Oh? Then what is it that you desire?" Nathan was intrigued.

"I wish to serve you! I have thought about it a lot. I believe that serving a worthy Master such as you, is a future I want for myself." Nitis said.

"Is that your selfishness?" Nathan asked.

"Yes… It is my selfishness." Nitis answered.

Nathan stared deeply into his eyes, yet he could not find any hint of hesitation.

"Very well then. I will give you a chance. You will learn of everything you need to know in due time. For now, sit in a comfortable position." Nathan instructed him, as he felt like Nitis was worthy.

Soon, Nitis was ready, and Nathan wasted no time,

[Trial of Darkness]

A formation appeared beneath Nitis, as time stopped in a small radius around him.

[Ding!]

And just in time, his quest to free the children was finally completed!

[Quest: (Liberator) Completed!]

[Stat Points +90, Skill Points +20]

[Congratulation! You have reached Level 8! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]

[Congratulation! You have reached Level 9! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]

[Congratulation! You have reached Level 10! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]

[Congratulation! You have reached Level 11! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]

[Completion rate: Perfection!]

[You have received: 100x Soul Essence Droplet!]

'Hmm? What is a Soul Essence Droplet?' Nathan was curious about this particular reward.

[Soul Essence Droplet]

The purest form of a special kind of energy, which is effective on souls.

Can be used in a variety of ways. 

Exclusive to The System

Warning! This energy is exclusive to The Underworld. 

'How interesting… since it can affect souls, it must be of utmost importance… I should explore its uses, but that can wait for later.'

[Mark of Inheritance has been activated!]

[You have received: (Unchained Abyssal True Reaper) Soul Cultivation Manual!]

"Oh?~ What is going on here? Why is Nitis frozen?" before Nathan could check out the sudden activity of his Mark of Inheritance, a curious voice emerged, as Sophie returned to Nathan's side.

"He chose to serve me, and I gave him a chance. Never mind that. I believe you also received some Soul Essence Droplets?" Nathan asked.

"Yes! We finally finished our first quest together! And got a ton of useful stuff too! I can't wait for our next quest! Hehehe~" Sophie giggled happily as she jumped around like a rabbit, before suddenly grabbing Nathan,

"Say, my Prince, this pitiful subordinate worked reaaallyyy hard~ how about a reward~?" Sophie asked pitifully, as she looked up at Nathan with big watery eyes,

"What do you want…?" Nathan asked hesitantly. He knew this little devil was up to something!

"Hehe~ nothing much~ just help me prank Grandpa!" Sophie asked, full of hope!

"…"

"…"

"… Fine. I'll help you." Nathan relented.

"Yay! You are the best, Nate!" Sophie cheered happily.

Nathan shook his head in defeat, 'I'm sorry Grandpa… I will make sure to remember your sacrifice!'

"For now, let's wait for Nitis to finish." Nathan sat down, and Sophie rushed to sit down beside him like a 'good girl', while trembling in excitement, rapidly thinking of different ways to get some revenge for their training from the evil old man!

'Should I add salt to his tea? No! Too basic! Hmm… how about writing something on the back of his favorite clothes? That could work… maybe I should just light his bed on fire when he is sleeping! Argh! So many options! Maybe I should do a combination…' Sophie grinned with excitement.

Nathan decided to ignore her obviously scheming face, "This is taking longer than it should…" He voiced out his concern.

Sophie was awakened from her daydreaming, as she also looked at Nitis, "Is it going to be a problem?"

Nathan shook his head, "Probably not. Let's go talk with the Headmaster. I doubt Nitis would be done anytime soon."

Nathan stood up and Sophie took the lead, walking to the Headmaster's office, as she was more familiar with the place.

On their way, they ran into a little figure who was timidly walking toward them.

Nathan stopped as she looked at the little girl, "If it isn't little Sara! What are you doing here? You should be resting in your room right now."

"B-big Brother… I was feeling l-lonely… so I thought I should find big Brother…" She looked at him with her cute nervous eyes, "Was I wrong?"

Nathan smiled as he patted her head, "No. Come with us. I have some business with the Headmaster, after that, big Brother will keep you company."

Sara nodded her head solemnly, "I will be a good girl!"

"You already are. Come, let's go." Nathan and Sophie continued as Sara followed closely behind.

Soon they reached the office and entered, where they found the Headmaster buried in papers!

"Ah! Young Master! Give me a moment." Headmaster Tallis finished the papers at hand, and added them to the organized mountain to the side.

"Please take a sit. I presume you are here to talk about the rules of the orphanage?" said Headmaster Tallis.

"Yes. There are several rules that I would like to be followed here." Nathan said as he sat across Headmaster Tallis, along with Sophie and Sara.

"I see… may I hear them?" Said Headmaster Tallis.

"Firstly, it is the age limit. Anyone who reaches full maturity, dictated by their race, is encouraged to move out and create their own future. Although the orphanage will still be their home, Sloth is not to be tolerated." Nathan stated the first rule.

"Interesting… I assume from your words that we will also be welcoming others races as well?" Headmaster Tallis was not uninformed of the ways of the world, and being chosen by Aunty Solina, he was just the man that Nathan needed for this job.

"Yes, we do not discriminate, which brings us to our second rule. The orphanage is to be considered safe grounds. No act of aggression is tolerated, else they will be punished by my Path, and should anyone seek shelter, they shall be provided with one." Nathan stated his second rule.

"And what if that person is a criminal, or what if The Royal Family attacks this place? I do not believe we can enforce this rule upon them." Headmaster Tallis raised a valid point, but he was talking to Nathan as serious as ever, not underestimating the sleeping dragon.

"If a criminal seeks shelter, they will be provided with one, but they will be judged by the laws of Darkness instead. I assure you, no one would fancy such a fate. But of course the second rule is to be enforced in the future. Right now, I am too weak and too young, so I leave that to your wisdom." Nathan said calmly, not disturbed by the Headmaster's criticism.

"Very wise. Indeed, the punishments of breaking your laws are very severe. I understand. Anything else?" Headmaster Tallis nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I wish for every child here to be educated about the many ways they can take in life. The Path of Darkness, The Path of The Light, that of Water or Fire. Or they can even forge their own path. Although I am from the Dark Path, I do not wish to force anything on them, the choice is theirs. There will be those who will be granted the privilege to undertake the trial of my Path, should you introduce them to us." Nathan stated his third and last major rule.

"As expected of your Path of Darkness, always in pursuit of the truth. I shall follow your orders to the letter, and make sure the others do so as well. The well being of the children will be our topmost priority." Headmaster Tallis bowed in respect.

Nathan nodded, "It better be. If I catch wind of any neglect or abuse, you know best of the fate of those who anger us."

Headmaster Tallis didn't even flinch, "I am well aware. As I, too, hope to join your path one day."

"Fulfill your duties to the utmost, and you will get your chance." Nathan stood up, and everyone else also stood up with him in unison.

"Well then, I will be taking my leave for now, as I have to spend some time with little Sara here. You know how to contact me. Also, expect many more children to show up soon, so set up accommodation." Nathan said as he left.

Headmaster Tallis bowed as they left,

"Your wish is my command, Your Highness…"