Pilgrimage of Dreams 19

<Winter special clip>

Allerick Empire main capital city and some of the other cities and villages have dwells in a kind person.

The person became the centre of the children topic at the orphanages. Their daily activities, when they play, when they eat, when they work. The said Kind person was the centre of the discussion.

They are not bad gossiping, in retrospect it was a talk about on how they received warm clothes and mundane house appliances.

How amazing and kind she was.

Their life became a bit easy.

The winter became a bit bearable.

The winter suddenly became warm.

It was not so bitter…

The orphanage became a bit livelier.

*

A young boy having a lock of golden hair and a deep set of blue eyes was seriously practicing the basic sword technique. Sweat formed on his body, trickling down from his head to his chin.

He works twice as hard.

The other children came towards him, inviting him to play with them but he refuse.

The young boy looks around the other children having fun in the snow. In the previous year, all the children will scoop together staying indoors and trying to attain a bit of the warmth a smuch as they can.

They will have to venture out collecting woods and fetch water amidst the bitter cold so that they could eat.

The orphan children will either fall sick, have a terrible cold bite, would tremble in cold the whole night.

However, this year it was different.

Hunting for small rabbits was not so laborious anymore. They have clothe that could keep them warm. Fetching water is not so hard anymore; they have clothes to keep them warm. Going outside and being in contact with the snow that they used to hate was not so hateful anymore; they have clothes to keep them warm.

They could finally experience the child-like joy of playing in the snow, building snow man, a snow fortress, having a snow ball fight…

They learn how to read and write, they have more future to look out to. Maybe, when they grow up, they might be able to get some small official post. They are educated now.

Going around the city to walk and meeting children who have parents are not so shameful anymore; they are educated just like them too. They started to understand what the other children always discuss about of what they learned.

 Their little head can be raised a bit more now.

Servants of the Duke house will come thrice a week teaching them how to read, the servant will come until the children learn the basic of alphabets than reading and learning the other books will be up to the children as they will already know how to read now.

They will read whatever kind of book interested them. The person has given them a lot of books as present.

Education gives one limitless potential.

Although the young boy have some secret desire to see the person who create opportunities to children like them again, but, one cannot be too greedy.

The young boy has clearly known the gap between the person and him.

He swings his sword a bit faster, more ruthless.

"Huff Huff…"

He has to work harder; if he did he will be able to meet her again…

He became a bit more hopeful…

–

 "Why?"

He asked, why did the person before him decide to give him a sword and a technique book?

"You have talent"

Meir seriously thought so.

The boy before her has a faint sense of sword.

Although Meir is not a swordsman, she can still perceive it. Her intuition and sixth sense is strong.

"…I was of but a humble origin, I will not achieve much even if you give me this, its' pointless"

The young boy face was impassive, his tone flat.

He has learned to curb in his desire and not to have hope far too early.

"One cannot decide their birth but one has decision over how they will go about life and how they will die. Do you want to die as nobody or do you want to die gloriously as a swordsman? Live honorably as a swordsman?" Young man, believe in your-self. Meir did a silent encouragement.

The young boy stay silent but he stretch out his hand and took the swords and books.

He held them firmly.

He was not as good as curbing his desire as he thought. He cannot restrain his hopeful heart much to his dismay.

Firmly looking at the girl with a silver hair the boy engraves her in his memory and of heart.

<I am not reconciled. I still have a lot of burning desire. Can I be hopeful as well?>

*

Glancing at the two children, one who is a boy and the other a girl I personally called out, the boy walks at the front, being protective of the smaller girl behind him.

His gaze wary…

I have an urge to roll my eyes.

Do I look like I eat people?

"Young miss"

The boy although formally addressed me puckered his lips, his face clearly unwilling, looking at the guards and servants with distrustful eyes.

I am too lazy to talk more to this child.

The previous boy I meet at the other orphanage is much cuter than this shriveled and thin boy. Okay, the previous boy was thin too.

But he has a plain expression and does not think much when he was called out, at least not on the surface.

I instruct the servants to bring out the weapons and book for the two children in front of them to see.

"You two must have sense a faint bit of prana, in case you don't know, the warm sensation or whatever magical senses you two feel is prana. It can bring you potential in becoming a warriors"

I explained.

The chatty servants who always say my name in whatever he said came forward, aside from being a bit of a rainbow farts blower, this servant have a good communication skill.

Wordy people are good in this kind of situation.

"Choose the type of weapon you resonate with"

The boy skeptically gaze at the servant then took a peek at me, I simply ignore him.

"Are you trying to let us be trained and later work for you guys like a dog?"

He asked, having an expression that he has realized 'our dirty intention'.

Hey hey hey…

Does anyone want to smack this child? I did.

The servant was about to scold him but I butt in first.

"Tell me what is so special about you? Do you think just because you seem to have awakened that faint bit of prana and you are all that?"

The boy was about to refute but I continue "There are countless excellent warrior that are trained since childhood personally by outstanding teacher and all those carefully raised warrior line up at our Duke manor to work for us and be an errand boy to us, what does you who does not even have any guidance since a tender age and only happen to awaken that bit think you are? I just happen to coincidentally feel that little bit of prana that was so faint it was discernible, took a pity on you and thought of giving an opportunity to be somewhat of an average warrior and here you are, thinking that you are somewhat special. People like you who awaken only that little bit of prana are rare because most awaken abundant prana, Tch"

Don't think that you are the only one who can demean others.

The boy was left speechless, his face flush either of anger or shame.

I don't really care.

I just felt good scolding him.

I am that petty.

Just because he is a child doesn't mean I will give in to him and act as the adult one.

Heck no.

Whether his skepticism is a good mindset to have to protect oneself; that is his perspective, my perspective is that my intention of giving them opportunity is rebuffed as ill intention.

His perspective and his position that was morphed by his environment have nothing to do with me. I put my perspective and my position above all else.

"Let them choose if they want to, I'm going in"

Saying so, Lina obediently open the carriage door when I turn around.

I got in and sat still.

"Sister Anne! Why did you choose?!" It was the disbelief voice of the bratty boy.

"You should also choose, let's become warrior"

The girl gentle voice has a firm tone.

"Ugh…"

I stop paying attention to the noise outside.

Later, Mina gets inside the carriage, beaming at me.

"Young miss, the girl choose a war hammer and the boy choose a war axe"

You don't have to inform me though.

I turn sideways, ignoring her.

"Miss was very eloquent in her berating, exactly, our Ducal have many excellent warriors who want to work for us but we don't accept just anyo-"

"Mina!"

I pursed my lips.

Don't bring up the topic of me quarrelling with a child.

When you repeat, it suddenly become embarrassing!

"Oh my…"

Mina laughs but sensibly stops speaking further, she didn't continue the topic.

The carriage move forward but halfway through our journey, the carriage suddenly stop. There are not many who has the power to stop our moving carriage that has the Volitient Insignia.

Curious, I look out.

There, I see a girl dress in mystical outfit, stars, moon and the sun beautifully decorating her dress.

Black hair swaying with the winds, she turn her head, silver pupil meeting my blue eyes.

"We finally meet"

I hear her say that.