Chapter 12: Four Great Powers [STAR]

"Yay! Mommy is in the story now!" cheered my daughter with a happy face.

"Not mommy, my little sister! Don't get mixed up with those two," I said to her.

"Huh? Then who is mommy in this story?" She tilted her head.

"Who knows? I ain't giving you any hints. Try to figure out who mommy is as the story progress. You're going to need to pay attention," I smiled.

"Aww— alright. I will try to guess who is mommy then," she pouted a little and put on a thinking face.

"Should I continue then?" I asked her.

"Yes!" She gave me a cheeky smile. Daughters seems to have the innate nature of melting a father's heart. Are we just born to be suckers for daughters? I hope I hadn't spoiled her due to this.

***

I peeked my head through the main door of the Dark guild. Is there even a receptionist at this hour? I looked around and there was no one in sight. Yosh, the coast is clear. Time to sneak Rose in. Even though I am technically allowed to bring Rose as a visitor, her age would raise questionable eyebrows from the members. She looked like she's ten which is not a good sign for me. I do not want to be mistaken for a certain bear which is the why I decided to sneak her in instead.

I gestured Rose to be quiet and enter with me. Tip-toeing our way to the stairs, the sound of a voice made me jump.

"Ah, if it isn't Zen. How rare to see you coming back at this hour," said the voice.

I instantly hid Rose behind me and turned my head see who it was that spoke. It was Angelica. Her timing is impeccable as always, even for situations like this.

"Good evening, Miss Angelica. Fancy meeting you at this hour. I thought there would be no receptionist when it's this late. H— How can I help you?" I muttered the words to her.

I was panicking as I wanted to avoid people gossiping about me bringing underaged girls to my room and doing who knows what.

"You had not taken your new room key so I was waiting for you. I had taken the liberty of transferring all of your belongings to the new room. It's on the third floor," she handed the key with a smile.

"Wow— I.. thank you so much. You shouldn't have, really. Now I feel bad making you wait, not to mention transferring all of my belongings to my new room," I scratched my head.

"He he— don't mention it. You can go ahead and have fun with your companion," she chuckled as she covered her mouth.

"S— she's not my companion. She's my little sister," I clarified with her.

I do not want people gossiping about me that I am some bear. It would make me cover my face every time return to the guild.

"Y— you have a sister? Since when?!" She sounded surprised.

"Since— a while ago?" I trailed off as I scratched my cheek.

I have no idea where I am going with this conversation. I am panicking so hard right now. Rose came to the front and bowed to Angelica.

"Nice to meet you, Miss. My name is Rose. I'm Zen's little sister," said Rose as she bowed.

"Oh, aren't you adorable! You're gonna need to take a bath and a change of clothes. You shouldn't be wearing rags when you go out. Oh, wait just a moment. I might have something that fits you," she went off to look for something.

Not a moment later, she came back with a small white dress.

"Here you go, it is a bit plain looking but it should be better than what you're wearing right now," she smiled at Rose.

"T— thank you so much!" Rose took the dress but stopped to look at me. Is she asking for my permission?

"If Miss Angelica said that you can have it then go ahead. Promise her that you will take care of it," I said to Rose.

"I promise! Thanks once again, Miss Angelica," Rose said with a cheeky smile. She is adorable I'll give her that.

"Thanks once again, Miss Angelica. I'm surprised that you had such a small dress with you in the first place," I asked her.

"It belonged to my younger sister who had outgrown it. I am glad that I can pass it on to someone else," she smiled. I placed my mouth close to her ear to whisper.

"I would appreciate if you didn't tell anyone about Rose. I want to avoid any gossips if possible," I whispered and she chuckled in response.

"You don't have to worry, Zen. You were always kind hearted and I am sure that no one is going to judge you. And besides, she is acting like your little sister. She's in good hands," she smiled. Miss Angelica is certainly beautiful. But unfortunately, a certain female elf had stolen my attention as of now.

"Oh right, if you had not eaten yet, there are some food in the kitchen. You can bring them up to your room," she said.

"I will. Thanks once again. Good night, Miss Angelica," I bowed to her.

"Good night, Onee-san," said Rose as she bowed once more before proceeding to follow me up the stairs.

"Good night, both of you. And here I was thinking we can have that wine together," she trailed off.

I peeked my head out from the corner of the stairs.

"Did you say something?" I asked her.

"Oh nothing— nothing. Good night," she smiled and waved at me.

***

I found my room at the third floor. The door alone is so much fancier than what I had during my Fighter rank days. A moment of truth now. I held my breath as I turned the key and opened the door.

"Wow," I said out loud unconsciously.

I could not hide my amazement. It is the size of a small apartment. There is a living room and a kitchen in sight from the front door. Although when I said living room, there is only a fireplace, a wooden couch with cushions and a small circular table on top of a rug on the floor. Damn, no television. Wait, what's a television? Huh?

I shook my head and focused on the more important stuffs. No bed or bathtub in sight? Oh, there is a corridor. Let's see, a small room with a bed and cabinet. This is probably the guest room. What's next? An empty room with no furnitures? Perhaps I can turn this into a storeroom of some sorts.

Where is the bathroom or master room? Ah, there you are. A king sized bed, a large table along with a wardrobe and cabinets. A couple of windows too. All in all, I love this master room.

I checked on the last door hoping that it is a bathroom. I opened the door and gave a sigh of relief. Thankfully there is a bathroom— and washroom? Huh?! I rubbed my eyes and rushed in to check. There— really is a toilet here. They actually made waste outlet for each of these room? Wow, talk about a major upgrade from the Fighter's room that I had. Rose can definitely live here with me. She can even have her own privacy in the guest room.

Rose was walking around exploring the rooms. I gestured her to come over and showed her the guest room. I informed her that from now on, this is going to be her room. She looked at me surprised with her mouth agape. "A room of my own? F— for real?!" she asked loudly. I nodded to her and told her that she can make herself at home. Although, I do expect her to help with chores and cleaning the house occasionally when she's living here. Share the burden of doing the chores together.

I gestured her to take a bath while I collected the food from the kitchen. I am certain that the both of us had not eaten dinner even though it was late now. Hunger knows no boundaries. When you gotta eat, you gotta eat. I waited for Rose as I sat at the dining table. So many things happened in a day that it felt so surreal. I got promoted, found a legendary gauntlet, adopted a little sister and now a new spacious room. Things were moving way too fast for me. But I guess that is one of those days where you have to go with the flow.

Rose came out wearing the dress that Miss Angelica gave her. She looked like a little white angel running towards me. I smiled when I see her looking so happy. Her hair was still unkempt but at least she looked cleaner now. There's going to be a lot of shopping to be done tomorrow for Rose.

Even though she was hungry and drooling, all she did was stared at her food and kept looking at me for permission. I cannot imagine the life she had been living all this time but I am glad she can make a genuine smile now. She is going to live a happy life, I promise to make that happen for her.

After dinner and a bath, I rested on my comfy bed. The comfort of this bed is beyond anything I had slept on. My body melts into the soft bed along with the pillow. So soft~

I had only noticed that I had a hidden chest in my room. I should keep my gauntlets locked in here until I can officially wear it. But even hitting the basic requirements is pointless. It does not provide me with any stat boost despite being a legendary item. I need to hit the requirements of those three hidden spells for it to be worth it.

Truth be told, I had not heard of anyone finding an item that provides you with additional spells. Everyone uses spells from their own respective guild. I guess I will be the one to break that curse then.

"Onii-chan?" I heard a voice.

I quickly sat up and saw Rose standing by the door of my room hugging her pillow. I could only see her eyes as the pillow was hiding the bottom half of her face.

"What's wrong? Can't sleep after a change of bed?" I asked her.

She nodded. I asked whether she want to sleep at my side tonight and she hesitated. I assured her that I won't lay a finger on her. I was certain that I won't be doing anything to her as I didn't have any attraction to her aside from brotherly love. All I wanted to do was to protect her and keep her safe. I noticed that she was shaking. Is she afraid that I will do something to her?

I got up from my bed and crouched in front of her while giving her a smile.

"Rose, you are little sister. I promise that I won't do anything to you. You can trust me on that. It's your choice if you want to sleep on the same bed with me or your own," I assured her with a smile.

She hugged me with her pillow in between. I gave her a pet on the head and she proceeded to jump on my bed. It is her first day out of that horrible house that she had been living for God knows how long. Of course she is scared. Not to mentioned this 14 year old idiot decided to buy her out of nowhere. Her mind must had been blown by now.

She rested herself at my side. I hope she is comfortable enough to sleep now.

"Let's go shopping tomorrow. I'll buy you clothes and perhaps we'll visit a barber shop to get you a hair cut," I told her and she replied with a simple "Emm".

Her hair was really long and unkempt. Not something any normal female in the right circumstances will ever ignore. Hairs are primarily one of their main attraction.

"I will blow the candle now. Good night, Rose," I said as I puffed out the candle.

Everything was quiet as I struggled to sleep. Is it because I am not used to such a soft bed? I might need to adjust myself to find the right position.

"Onii-chan— thank you. I will find a way to repay you one day," muttered Rose. Was she sleep talking or is she still awake? I turned to look at her but her back was facing me. At least she was not shaking anymore.

"You don't need to repay me, Rose. I will do my best to make you happy and keep you safe. That is what a brother should do," I whispered to her.

***

"Glad you did not give up huh, boy," said Kirin. How long has it been since I last spoke to him?

"Give up on what? Are you referring to the gauntlets?" I asked him.

"Indeed, how do you think you even noticed it in the first place?" He said while puffing up his chest.

"Are you saying you were the one who showed me that sparkle? You can do that?" I asked him curiously. If he can show me hints, what else can he see through my eyes?

"Why, of course!~ There was a strong frequency emanating from that chest that made me curious. It felt like there was something inside that will be compatible with my powers," he explained. None of that entered my mind, as I had more pressing concerns about what he told me.

"Oh gosh, I can never have my privacy of my own any longer. There goes my private life," I muttered to myself while feeling down.

"You think I am interested in your private life, boy?! I only take interest in things that pique my own interest. I am not interested in your everyday life, boy. My spirit is capable of wondering around this world even though you are carrying my physical self," he said with a smug face.

"Phew. At least there is some assurance there. I am still young and have a whole life waiting for me," I told him.

"Do what you wish, boy. Just remember that I am your primary weapon and you will use no other," he warned me. Is he jealous that I am using my elven dagger?

"I don't see what's wrong in using a side weapon. It prevents you getting dull from being overused, isn't it?" I asked him.

"You think I can be withered down by simple wear and tear? You are wielding a legendary weapon, boy. It would take another Celestial Being to even hurt me. Have no fear and use me more often," he said with a hmph face. This Kirin is such a Tsundere.

"Alright then, you have my word that I will use Inazuma more often," I bowed to him.

"Until next time, boy," he said as the world he created started to fade.

***

I opened my eyes. The smell of food was overwhelming my senses even from inside my room. I sat up and noticed that Rose was gone. I rushed out of my room to look for her but to my surprise, she was cooking. Odd, pretty sure I did not have any ingredients or utensils to cook with. I approached her to see what she was cooking.

"Good morning, Onii-chan. You can freshen up while I finish cooking," she said.

"Good morning, Rose. May I ask where did you get the ingredients and utensils from?" I asked her.

"I went downstairs and borrowed them from the chef. He was willing to lend me these few items and ingredients to make breakfast," she said. Hold up a minute. Did she just said she went downstairs?

"Um— when you were downstairs, did anyone else saw you aside from the chef?" I asked her.

"Hmm— there were a couple of people who were having breakfast which I greeted them," she recalled back her memory.

Ah well, sooner or later, Rose is going to be found out by the other members anyway. I'll just deal with them when I head downstairs later.

I headed into the washroom to freshen up. I did not take a bath as I am not a morning person. Bathing in the morning without any training would only stimulate my sinus which is going to make my morning extra miserable. I sat at the dining table to see what Rose was cooking. Oh my, looks like a western meal. Hang on, is that what I think it is? Woah, did the chef really?

"Rose, is that what I think it is? Did you use a golden egg to cook this?" I asked her curiously.

"The chef said that I can use it for breakfast. Is it not to your liking?" she asked.

"Well— I won't say it is not to my liking but— these eggs are not cheap. It cost about a silver coin each as it comes from an extremely rare jikenettes breed," I informed her.

These eggs are expensive due to their exquisite taste. Chefs around the city only uses these eggs when they are preparing a lavish meal. And he just gave Rose two of them without knowing whether she can actually repay it? Blimey, I better repay the chef later. That's two silver coins here.

She gave me a confused look but I wiped away the thought and gestured her to eat. We dug into our meal. Immediately, both of us were in cloud nine. The eggs were soft and fluffy even though it was cooked as a simple fried egg. Imagine your chicken egg but toppled with truffle and caviar. That is the level of taste that this rare jikenettes breed are capable of producing. Both of us were crying as we slowly chewed on it. This egg alone completely outshined the sausages, bacon and ham combined.

Rose seemed to be crying even more than me. Perhaps she had not eaten anything so delicious in her life. After we had finished eating, both of us hugged each other as though we had reached Nirvana. It took us about 10 seconds later before we snapped out of that heavenly taste.

I asked Rose to get ready before we headed out. A couple of things I need to do before we exit the building. First, pay the chef, then look for Miss Angelica. I prepared myself for the inevitable as I walked downstairs. As soon as I placed my foot on the ground floor, there was plenty of cheers and laughter directed at me. Sigh, so many members knew about Rose now and all of them are cheering for me. What were they expecting really? Geez.

"Yo Zen, finally get yourself a girl, eh? I always thought you would prefer the more matured ones but who knew you preferred the younger and unkempt type, huh?" A guild member poked his elbow at me.

"Congratulations Zen, seems like you're finally matured now. Hahaha!!" shouted another member.

I sighed and thought of what I am supposed to say. Did these guys really thought that I would lay my hands on such a young girl? I am not some noble that only preferred underaged girls. Geez.

"Guys— guys, this is my little sister," I said to all of them.

A whole lot of them spilled or spitted their drinks after hearing what I said.

"W— what?! You have a little sister?? Since when?!" Asked one of the guild member.

"We never heard you having a little sister before," asked another.

"Well, now you do. And I would appreciate that none of you are thinking about laying your hands on her unless you wish to have a taste of my wrath," I gave all of them a deathly stare. All of them shivered at the thought and started minding their own business.

"Your little sister will be a real beauty in the future, Zen," said someone behind me. It was Rick.

"Hey brother, been a while since the ceremony, how you been? This is Rose, by the way," I introduced him to Rose.

"Nice to meet you, Rose. I assume the both of you are not blood related seeing that there is absolutely no similarities between the both of you. I am fine by the way, thanks for asking. Being a Dark Knight meant that I'll be having less quests but better rewards," he laughed.

"Great to hear. I'll catch up with you later when I have the chance. Got a couple of errands today," I told him.

"Ah, no worries, Go on ahead. You know where to find me anyway," he waved as he walked off.

I headed into the kitchen to pay the chef for the ingredients and returned the utensils. I guess I will have to buy my own utensils seeing that Rose have an interest in cooking. The chef refused but I insisted in passing him the coins. Despite him looking like a colonel, that egg is not something that I should be eating for free. I ain't taking no for an answer.

Making sure the chef accepted my coins, I went to look for Miss Angelica who was stationed at the quest counter today. I spoke with her regarding Rose's horrible experience with the orphanage house and wondered whether there was something that I can do to help the remaining orphans there. She told me not to worry as all she needed was the location of where I rescued Rose from. The Dark Lord himself will be lodging the complaint directly to the administration and they will be taking things extra seriously when it involves a guildmaster. An investigation will be performed by the administration if all the things Rose told us are true, then the lady will be looking at doing community service for the rest of her life. Under her contract to be an orphanage in the first place, she swore to care and protect those children assigned to her with utmost priority. Breaking the contract will have severe consequences under the administration.

I thanked her properly and told her that I will be treating her to a meal. She rejected my offer and said that taking care of Rose is already a commendable effort on its own. Should I need any help when taking care of her then she is up for it. After all, a man would never understand a woman's body when they eventually undergo puberty.

Before I left, I asked Miss Angelica for advice on where I can purchase clothes that can fit Rose. She told me that there were some clothing stores near the library that caters for children. Glad to hear that then. I guess there won't be much of a detour after all. Time for me to update my quest log for the day.

Main Objective Updated: Head to the library to study on the 4 great powers. Search for ways to increase my skill stats.

Side Objective Unlocked: Purchase clothes for Rose and get her a haircut. Get some cooking utensils and ingredients along the way.

Sounds about right, let's get this show on the road. I decided to finish my side objectives before heading to the library. As of luck, there was a store that was selling kitchen utensils along the way. I headed in and realised that I had next to zero ideas on what utensils was needed for cooking. My cooking skills were non-existent at this point. Rose took charge and purchased some utensils while I negotiated on the payment. She is dependable and happened to be quite knowledgeable as well. Who says that she cannot do anything right? I ought to give that lady a piece of my mind if I ever see her again.

With all the utensils we bought, the shopkeeper was willing to send all of them to the guild directly with no additional charge. I am glad that we did not have to double back as I doubt we can continue moving around with all of the utensils that we bought. We continued our journey to the library and yes indeed, there were clothing stores for children and a barbershop too. The library was certainly a huge building. You must be thinking that the people of this world do not fancy reading but books are our main source of getting information in this world. Just imagine cooking something half way through and forgetting the recipe that you thought you remembered from the library. Imagine no Google; wait, what's Google?

I decided to bring Rose to a hair cut before buying clothes for her. I was sure with a proper hairstyle, we can determine clothings that suits her more. The barber recommended Rose to have her hair trimmed to shoulder length as her hair was curly in nature. I shrugged and told him that he's the barber and he knows his trade the best. Not long after, the barber nodded to himself when he was satisfied with the result. Rose hopped off the chair and looked towards me as though she was asking me for a feedback. Oh my lord, she really looked like a doll. Rick was right, she is going to grow up to be a beauty in the future. Her future husband must treat her properly or I will hunt him down with my particular set of skills.

Alright then, next stop is clothes. Once again, I left it to the shopkeeper to recommend clothes for Rose. There were a couple of dresses or two-piece clothings that suited Rose and— I just bought them all. Rose had only one dress from Miss Angelica so it does not hurt to get her more. Obviously I asked her to throw her rags away. She is a girl and she should be dressing up properly.

Yosh, all the side quests are done. To the library it is.

I asked Rose on whether she wanted to head home instead. She said she wanted to tag along as she wanted to visit the library and check out any books that interest her. She knew how to read? Is there anything that she can't do? She is really smart for her age, possibly even smarter than me.

As we entered the library, a librarian greeted us with a nod instead of welcoming us out loud. It is a library after all. I enquired her for a book about the Four Great pPowers and a dummies guide to increase skill stats. She looked up her entry book and pointed me to the shelf number. Rose also asked for some particular book that I did not hear as I quickly rushed in to find those two books I came for.

Let's see— ah, there it is. Book about the Four Great Powers. Literally the title of the book itself. Now, what about— Oh, found it. Skill stats for dummies. I decided to start off with the book about the Four Great Powers first.

Let's see, says here that the Four Great pPowers are not self-declared by the individual themselves. It is a title bestowed by many and agreed upon by the cities and communities. It involves many interaction and fame between the two continents that gave birth to the idea to declare these individuals with the title. Even if an individual killed one of the great powers, without fame or interaction with the cities, that title does not belonged to that individual.

The first and perhaps the strongest of the member is an elven woman, goes by the name of Ivy Moonshine. Moonshine? Isn't that Lily's last name? Please don't tell me this is her mother or grandmother.

Ivy Moonshine was an elf that had accomplished many impossible feats. Mostly in building the foundation of many cities or fighting against impossible odds. She is estimated to be around 15,000 years old and remains undefeated by any who challenged her. What? Elves can live that long? Do they even start looking old even at that age? I am really curious if I can meet Ivy one day. I can definitely go all out testing my strength against her.

Next up is Sladar Slitherman. The second member in the rank of the great powers. He is known for his impressive regenerative abilities that rivals Dragon Kings. Capable of even growing limbs, he is a lizardman who had joined the Dragon guild making him extremely skilled in using a staff.

The third member is— a human. Is he my target? Oh wait, this person doesn't seems to be an assassin. Peter Borage is known for leading a peaceful life. He is the founder of the City of Heliotrope Ixia and has lead the people to live a calm and meditative life. But his strength is not something to be trifled with. Known for his unarmed combat, he is capable of defeating any opponent with his fist alone. Underestimating his powers will be your demise. He remained undefeated for over 30 years.

Last on the list, my target. Tom Snapdragon. A notorious human that is infamous for his silent killing. Capable of killing his targets without leaving any evidence. The target would be riddled with circular holes but upon closer inspection, no weaponry known to man is capable of leaving such wounds. Doctors suspects that he might be using some form of firing weapon such as a musket or a flintlock but since there were no pellets or iron balls left in the wound, the doctors were unable to conclude the cause of death. Many reputable and important figures were assassinated by him which made the cities granting him that title not as a recognition but as a punishment. How does granting him that title considered as a punishment? Ah, they had declared the fourth to be killed on sight all around the world. Painting him as a target with fame.

So, Tom is his name. An assassin that can kill his target with an unknown weapon. Not to mention his silent killing or movements can even evade elven ears. This is going to be hard. As I am right now, I highly doubt I will be able to kill him. I will need to be at least the rank of Dark Knight before even thinking of fighting him. I had always wondered why he did not try to find me in the city. He should be able to recognise me, John or Lily despite our older age. The Elementalist had also informed me that there were no reports about Tom being spotted in the city for a couple of years now. Hm, that's odd.

I wiped the thought out of my mind and proceeded with the next book. Lets see, how do I increase my skill stats. This book is really old and it felt like it doesn't belonged here. I opened the book and the first thing shown was 'Property of City of Heliotrope Ixia. If found, do return it as it is illegal to bring it out of the city'. I immediately closed the book. Did I just committed a crime?! What I am holding in my hands is an illegal item! How did it even get here in the first place??

I sighed. Now is not the time for righteousness, I must find a way to increase my skill stats even if it meant breaking the law. I will pretend that I did not see the first page. I started reading further ahead. It says here that you do not level up in this world. All your stats are dependent on what you do in your daily life. In order to increase your skill stats, you need to do things that requires you to be skilful. Some examples are fishing, cooking or baking.

I slammed my head on the table upon reading that. People around the library started shushing me. I am so sorry, but what the actual fuck? Not only did I spent an entire year digging for this bloody gauntlets, now I have to learn how to fish, cook or bake? Lord help me. Please let there be other things that can improve my skill stats. I read further and found out that mining or digging was one of the ways to increase skill but the rate was extremely slow as it focused more on strength. Things that uses your brain are the best way to increase your skill.

Hmm— oh, here's something. Doing medicine can increase your skill stats drastically as it would require you to experiment on different herbs, materials and such. Perhaps I should give medicine a try. Who knows, if I'm lucky, I might be the first person to make a breakthrough in medicine and discover healing potions or something useful.

But where do I even begin? Should I look for a medicinal shop and start knocking on some mortar and pestle? I wonder if the librarian would know of any medicinal shops that are accepting apprentices.

I turned to look at Rose who was seated at my side reading a book quietly. She seemed to be immersed in reading. Noticing I was staring at her, she turned and asked a question that made my jaw dropped.

"Onii-chan, can I join a guild?' she whispered. I turned to see the cover of the book that she was reading. 'Which guild is suitable for you' was the title. Oh dear.