Chapter 2

Dusk

Bodill led me quietly by the hand through the city until we reached our horse, while I kept my gaze on the ground and didn't say a word during the journey. Fortunately, my father respected my silence and remained silent throughout the trip back home. Upon arriving home, I helped my father feed the horse before finally entering the door. Less than a second later, my mother came running and hugged me, asking again and again how I was. When Bodill was about to speak, I intervened:

— It was great, mother! There were so many kind people and food I had never seen before. It was amazing! — I emphasized the point by moving my arms from side to side. Meanwhile, my father looked at me with a puzzled and worried expression at how easily I lied.

Seeing the excitement and happiness in her son, Annora hugged Alaric even tighter, thrilled by his joy.

— I was so worried that something would happen to you on your first trip out of the house — she said kindly. Even my father, who was aware of the lie, was very surprised by the fact that if he hadn't been already, he would have completely fallen for it.

Is it wrong to lie if it makes others feel better? I don't think so. I'm just... making sure my mother doesn't have to worry, right?

BODILL'S MONOLOGUE:

1

Since we left the village, I can feel it. Even though Alaric maintains a somber expression, I don't notice any minimal change in his aura. His calmness has always puzzled me, and I still can't fully understand it.

If there's one thing I'm good at, thanks to my years as an adventurer, it's my abilities to read people. It's also thanks to my innate skill, "Aura Reading," which allows me to see things like the type of aura, quantity, power, mental state, and, most importantly, intentions and feelings, among other things. The drawback is that I can't turn it off.

The most baffling thing about Alaric is that I've never seen his emotional state vary even slightly. Not a single tantrum for not getting something he wanted or a surprise gift could change it. But I've simply ignored it; maybe it's one of the consequences of being a genius, right? I suppose all I can do is support him, and I'll keep doing that until I die. After all, he's my son...

Although a part of me is afraid to see someone I can't read, I grew up in an orphanage in the capital of the northern country, "Sylvaria." As the capital of the elven country, they were entirely fascinated by the magical arts, as they themselves were the pinnacle of magical talent. Being a normal human, my talents were very limited in all areas, and I was despised by most. However, I managed to stay afloat thanks to certain people. Like the matron of the orphanage, whom I came to love as my own mother, she instilled a goal in me: to be the first human to enter the "Stellarum Academy of Swordsmanship and Magic"...

Everything changed when I obtained my "innate ability." It's inconceivable the harm it can cause to know the intentions of others. It has always been a curse for me. I managed to endure by ignoring all the fake smiles. I was used as a talent gauge for my entire childhood, and one day, I just got tired. I was completely broken, and the streets only made it worse; people can be cruel, especially in dangerous situations. I did things I'd prefer to forget forever, but I'll never regret them. Time passed, and thanks to a man, I became an adventurer. Everything changed when we were hired for an escort mission with a group of adventurers...

Bodill: "Adventurer/Guard" 

Rank: "D-" Abilities: "Aura Reading," "Wind Magic rank E+," "???" 

Swordsmanship: "D"

After a few years, I fell in love with one of my companions, Annora, and we decided to start a family. Since childhood, I had dreamed of having a family, my family, and living in love and happiness. When I found out about Annora's pregnancy, I was scared. I won't deny that my first impulse was to try to escape. BUT everything changed when I looked her in the eyes. I felt no ulterior motive or negative emotion, only "love." So I cried, like I had never done before, releasing everything I had kept inside. Even after seeing me try to run away, did she... love me? From that moment on, I decided that the most important thing in my life was my family, and I would make sure to give them everything I didn't have. Together, we decided that it was best to leave the "Adventurer's Guild" and find regular work in the human country of "Verdantia." The pregnancy went much faster than I expected, and we were lucky to find a small house on the outskirts of a growing commercial village. When Alaric was born, I expected a more difficult but happy life. Everything was very different from what I expected. Alaric was born in complete silence, and it was the most terrified I had ever been in my life. I thought all my efforts had been in vain, but he slowly turned his head and looked me in the eyes. We raised him to the best of our abilities, and he slowly started showing more emotions and laughter. But I never noticed the slightest change in his aura, always being a stagnant pool with no movement whatsoever. At 7 months old, he learned to speak the "Human Language" perfectly, but we could never teach him to read more than a few words because we didn't have enough money to get books. However, he somehow learned on his own. Although he may not know it, I've seen him take books from the library during the night. Unfortunately, if I were to describe his "Magical" talent, there is no other word than "mediocre." His quantity is just below average, and his power is "normal." It's probably a good time to measure his "Physical" talent by teaching him everything I know about the art of the sword. During my years as an adventurer, I could only learn two of the 12 main stances: "Heaven's Fencing," which comes from the elven lands in the north and consists of fast and constant strikes, usually accompanied by wind magic to make the movements faster, and "Earth's Fencing," the most balanced of all. So far, I've only done light training with him to maintain a healthy and moderately strong physique, but I hope he can withstand rigorous training... Aghhh, his mother is going to kill me!!!

Dawn

2

— Um... father, why are we outside? — but he only looked at me seriously.

— In this world, the most important thing is that a man knows how to protect himself and his family, so today — he points at me with a finger — you will accompany me in my daily routine!

— Uh, yes, I suppose that's okay...

He started doing some simple stretches, which I tried to imitate, and he corrected slight details. After that, we began to run around the area outside our home. After the first lap, sweat was already accumulating on my forehead, but I ignored it as I maintained the same pace for the following laps. Why don't we stop? I thought, completely exhausted after the ninth lap. But immediately, my father came to a sudden halt and said, — That's enough; nine is your limit — as he took out a leather canteen and handed it to me — you deserve a break...

I lay on the ground and gulped down all the water in less than 6 seconds, and my father watched me with an amused expression. When I closed my eyes, almost drifting to sleep, he threw a small wooden sword at me, comically hitting me in the stomach.

— Ugh, what the heck! — In response, he just looked at me with cold eyes.

— I'm going to teach you the way of the sword — he stepped back a bit, maintaining a confident posture with an arrogant smile as he moved his wooden sword around him, forming a small circle.

— If by nightfall, you can't touch me or make me leave this circle, — he smiled darkly at me — you'll have to run four times what you ran today.

He... wants to kill me!

I stood up and gripped the small sword with one hand, preparing for the challenge ahead. Although my heart was pounding with fear and anxiety, I also felt a deep determination to overcome the challenge.

It's entirely impossible for me to touch him if I attack head-on. While I don't know the extent of my father's abilities, I'm aware that he was a combat-specialized adventurer. For now, the only way I have to attack is to take advantage of his pure confidence. If I attack in a straight line with a downward sword strike, he will likely respond by either grabbing it or countering it with a strike. The best thing I can do is to attack in a straight line.

— AAAAAH! — I shouted as I feigned great anger.

— Pathetic, I thought you were smarter, Alaric! — He spoke aloud with slight disappointment.

Now I make a feint toward his blind spot. As I change direction, his eyes follow me the whole time, and he smiles slightly.

— Much better, but... — he moved his sword toward his blind spot while keeping his body in the same position — not enough! — Our swords clashed, sending me flying four meters.

— Aghhhhhh — just as I expected, there is no way to win. I'm on my knees with my hands on the ground. Except that... I can cheat a little.

I run in a straight line while keeping my eyes on him, attempting another upward strike to quickly switch to another feint toward his blind spot.

— Again?! — without having moved a single millimeter.

But a millisecond before colliding, I duck, making his sword strike downward toward my shoulder. I use that moment when his sword is clashing to throw dirt that I grabbed while I was on my knees directly into his eyes and use that distraction to attempt to strike him in the stomach.

But I simply see the sky as I go flying and fall hard on my back, breathing heavily.

— Ah, ah, ah, ah — another failure, huh? I suppose I didn't anticipate that the dirt wouldn't blind him. But I have another strategy.

Meanwhile, my father watches me with a hint of concern in his eyes. I get up unsteadily while using the wooden sword as a staff and hold it with one hand, my other arm entirely useless.

— You have my respect, Alaric, but you lack strength. I have no doubt that you'll be a good swordsman someday.

— This... This... ISN'T OVER YET! — I shout in fury as I attack head-on.

— SURPRISE ME, SON! — he remains still while moving his wooden sword.

As we were about to clash swords, he suddenly stops and I put on a face of pure fear, shouting, — MOM IS BEHIND YOU!

Immediately, Bodill turns around with a look of pure terror — IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!

I don't even pause for a second before striking him in the side with a horizontal blow with every ounce of my strength.

Just before connecting, he grabs the sword with his hand effortlessly, and I immediately release the sword and feint another strike to his back, changing it to a kick to the back of his knee. But he simply jumps, dodging with ease.

— Nice try, liar! —

I take advantage of the position to use the ground to propel myself and try to kick him, but he just grabs my foot and throws me to the side while I'm still in the air.

Haha, it seems I failed again... ah, I need a bit of a rest...

Months passed, summarized in having breakfast, warming up, running, eating, and then fighting with my father until dinner...

3

All of this without him teaching me anything... Ugh, he's driving me crazy! According to him, I have to learn everything by myself through observation, trial, and error. During the night, I take the opportunity to "study" in solitude, which translates to reading the few books we have at home. This is a problem because some of them are in a language I don't know, but it won't take me long to understand... I hope.

But this day is different... During breakfast, my mother asked me something.

— Darling, would you like to accompany me to the village? —

— Of course, mother. I'd love to accompany you!! — Any change from the routine is more than welcome.

My father, meanwhile, completely ignored us as he devoured his food. It seems like everything is a battle for him.

— All people have the need to feel appreciated and valued, that's part of what we call "Human Nature." —

Esmervale Village

The horse ride was peaceful, and we reached the village quite quickly. It looked exactly the same as the last time I came, and I even recognized some people, although they didn't recognize me, which is normal considering they only saw me once several months ago.

Together with my mother, we explored the commercial area, stopping at every single stall, and I got to see all sorts of things I had never seen before.

At one point, my mother allowed me to wander off a bit to see things of my interest. I walked around, passing from booth to booth, but what caught my attention the most was... a library?

— Beautiful... — I said as I saw a rather large building with a massive number of books. I think I'm going to cry.

I entered the place calmly and walked, observing every book. Geography, History, Politics, Strategy, Psychology, Medicine... Everything is so beautiful. I grabbed as many as I could and walked up to the seller.

— How much... — I said, looking at him like a child would.

— Uh, what? — he said, looking surprised by the excessive number of books in my hands.

— How much for the books? — I asked, looking at him seriously.

— They are 13 Uvenis each, and you have... — he began to check the books — 6 books, so it would be 78 Uvenis.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out a small bag, and emptied it while counting each coin.

— I only have 8... — I said visibly dejected. — Do I have to put them back?

— You can go; I'll take care of it.

I left with an angry face and continued wandering through the village since my mother and I had agreed to meet at a certain place when it started getting dark. So, I still had at least 2 hours to kill.

Perhaps I could use this time to get the money I need, but the dilemma is how a small child could make money.

Stealing is out of the question, as is working, which leaves the option of finding it by chance or simply "betting." And I don't mean gambling at a casino or anything like that. I mean going to someone and saying, "Hey, if I beat you three times in this game, you give me 2 coins," or something like that. Obviously, the game has to be one in which my victory is guaranteed.

I approached a random man standing outside a small tavern.

— Um... sir, I'm trying to buy a book, but I'm short 5 coins. Would you like to play a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" for the 5 coins I need?

The man was very surprised.

— 5 coins for a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors"!! Are you crazy?

Seeing my total rejection, I came up with an idea. It's clear that an affluent person is unlikely to accept a bet with a child like me, so I have to change my approach. The best option I have at the moment is to approach as a nervous and innocent child to someone who is desperate for money. The problem is that this increases the chances of receiving a negative reaction.

I think I found the ideal person.

— Um... sir... I-I'm trying to buy a book, and I'm short 5 coins. Can we play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" for the 5 coins?

The man looked at me, thinking that this was easy money.

— Oh, heh, well, kid, you're in luck; let's play!

— Sir, you're amazing! — I said, emphasizing it with my hand gestures.

— Hahaha, you're right, I am!

— Alright, let's play, sir! — I said, maintaining a serious face and looking him in the eyes. — I'll give you 10 seconds to think about your choice... I'll choose Rock!

This startled him quite a bit.

— Uh, what the hell?

— 10, 9, 8, 7...

Why should I worry? He's just a child. He probably only told me his choice by innocent mistake. I'm going to choose "paper"!

— 3, 2, 1. Okay, let's do this. ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!

We both showed our hands; he had chosen Paper, and I had chosen Scissors.

— Haha, I won! I won! — I said as I jumped for joy.

— You little brat! You lied, so I'm not giving you anything!

He looked at me, very angry.

— Fufufu, and do you really think you're in a position to do that? — I pointed to a guard less than 20 meters away from us. — I wonder who they'd believe if I told them you stole from me... — I pointed to him — a parasite of society — and then to me — or a poor innocent child. — I smiled sadistically — I think you know what happens to thieves in this village, don't you?

— YOU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?! — very angry but with a bit of fear in his eyes.

— TAKE THIS! — he said as he threw the coins at me and left very angry.

I think I haven't explained why I chose him, have I? A few months ago, when we came with my father, a few minutes before the boy got beaten up, that same boy was in an alley where we passed with my father, meeting this man. I remember seeing pure terror in his eyes as he received that beating, but I also remember seeing how he took the opportunity to steal from the people who were watching.

I don't think it's wrong to lie if it helps me get what I want, right?

A FEW HOURS LATER

After the incident with the man, I went to the library and decided to buy a book on psychology (obviously). Since there were about 20 minutes left before I had to meet my mom, I walked slowly back. When I got there, I noticed that she had several bags with what seemed to be clothes, while I only had my book in hand. We talked about what we did and how we spent our day and decided to go back home because it was getting close to evening.

The journey back was just as peaceful as the one to the village, but when we were about to arrive, I noticed something...

— Why is there smoke coming from the house?