Stahlia Ten Years Old, Second Month of 947
Our carriage was trundling along down a large highway. Surrounded by a vast plain on all sides that stretched to the horizon. In the distance, we could see some clusters of buildings dotted here and there, the various satellite towns that surrounded the capital city. We had departed Fess early this morning, around an hour and a half before the sun rose, and we were making good progress. According to our driver, we should be within sight of Drakas, the capital of the Kingdom of Drakas, wherein King Drakas sat on the throne of Drakas, by mid-evening. It’s like that one Japanese cartoon back on Earth, the one where the Prince, the Planet, and the King all have the same name… Vegetable or something.
Sana and Giogi had both grown bored of the scenery shortly after we entered these vast plains, but after having traveled together for the past few days, they had little left to talk about, so we rode in silence. Personally, I was hoping we would run into some more combat, I had really wanted to hit level ten before having to go to the Royal Academy, but I was less than halfway through level nine, so that was unlikely. Thankfully, I should still be able to get the last skill I wanted; I had discovered in Fess, that entering new regions would give me a small bonus to my Life Points, I only needed ten more and I would be able to “finalize” my current build.
Letting my thoughts wander, I recalled Rosial’s face the last time I had known for sure it had really been her. It had been the night of her Dedication Ritual and she had been crying over the result. I had promised her that I would always walk beside her as her older sister. That had been two years ago now, and I had no idea where she had been taken. Jacqueline had assured me there was little chance she would be in the capital; although the Order of Shadows had facilities there, they would know better than to put her somewhere I might accidentally run into her.
Lost in thought, I was startled back to the present at Sana’s excited cry, “Oh! Look there! You can see the city coming over the horizon!” I looked up out the window and sure enough, there was a hill of white on the horizon. “Is it not beautiful Stahlia? We should be there within the hour!”
I frowned and craned my neck up to check the progress of the sun, it was hardly past midday. “No Sana, I think we are still a good way off; the driver said we would arrive around mid-evening, and it is only just past noon. We can likely only see the city from here because of how big it is.”
Sana grumped at me for raining on her enthusiasm but agreed that I was probably right, recalling how we had still been able to make out the Ris mountains up until halfway through our second day of travel.
I checked my menu to see if being able to see Drakas qualified as entering its region; it did, as I now had 75 Life Points. This was something I had discovered earlier on our journey; namely, I could earn LP from things besides leveling up or leveling up my talents. In this case, traveling around and visiting places for the first time also granted me a small amount of LP. I searched through the skills list and grabbed the one I had been eyeing. Its effect would be perfect for what I needed over the next several years, and it would likely remain useful after that though perhaps a bit diminished, so I didn’t feel like I was wasting my points or skill slot.
“Blue Blooded(75LP): User receives a slight positive correction to Charisma when interacting with members of the Noble or Royal Social Strata. This correction is more effective when the user is perceived as a noble or is otherwise acting with a noble’s affectations but loses almost all effectiveness if the user is not recognized as a noble by their target.”
Regarding the skills and talents I could purchase, it seemed there was some degree of predictability to their costs. The most powerful ones, like Cold Blooded and Prodigy all cost 500LP. Then they were arranged into tiers of 100 points, with the lowest tier being 100. Those like my new Blue Blooded were in their own category I had chosen to call “Exceptions”. These all cost less than 100, and seemed to be discounted due to me meeting some condition or other, in the case of Blue Blooded, it was likely discounted due to my own noble status.
There were a few other skills and talents I had my eye on, and while I would love to go for a bunch of tier fives, I was forced to admit that at 500LP per item, that was a bit unfeasible. I’ll have to find a balance between effectiveness and cost unless I stumble onto a way to get them for free as I did with Cold Hearted, although that one still feels like it was pre-arranged by someone… I could also save points by practicing a talent first, since it seemed talents could be acquired through effort, not just a class, like how I had acquired the fire magic talent by simply practicing fire magic.
All that aside, Blue Blooded should aid me when dealing with the Francois family, as well as the noble children and teachers at the academy. I wasn’t particularly planning on sparing or killing them when I burned this kingdom; unless they were party to those who I was planning to bring down I couldn’t care less. Still, if I was able to make friends and gain allies, I would at least have an easier time gathering information. I confirmed my choice and watched the skill write itself into my menu. Now to test it out…
“Lady Sana, pray tell me, what do you plan to do once we arrive? Personally, I shall be greeting Dominic and Count Francois.” Sana blinked at me before shaking her head rapidly as if to clear away a fog.
“Stahlia, have you been practicing your etiquette when I wasn’t looking? I could hardly recognize you for a moment… I think I will first visit the Central Temple.” Perfect, it looks like the skill worked.
Giogi, who had been observing the exchange just now scoffed. “What do you mean Sana? Stahlia didn’t do anything special just now, she just put on some fancy speech is all.” And that confirms that the skill lacks an effect when the other party doesn’t recognize me as a noble. Good to know. Sana had initially treated me very differently after my father received his barony; I had to go to a great deal of trouble and practically order her to continue treating me the way she used to. Having been raised by the church, she had always been a stickler for things like rules and expectations.
On the other hand, out of all my self-proclaimed “knights” Giogi had been the only one who had become even more drab after my father’s title. It was almost as if me actually having a peerage somehow contradicted his worldview. In any case, Giogi didn’t view me as a member of the nobility. It was a small saving grace that I was genuinely grateful for since it meant that at least one person could always be counted on to treat me normally.
Jacqueline didn’t count; she had pledged her fealty to me as her lady and, although she would reprimand me when I acted dumbly, she endeavored to be the perfect lady in waiting and could hardly be counted on to treat me like a normal person anymore. I had actually had to order her to chide me since, in the days following her pledge, she had started taking my words as gospel for some reason.
Sana and Giogi started bickering over whether or not I had just done anything special, so I tuned them out and focused my gaze on the slowly approaching city. The people who took my sister from me are there. I might be weak now but wait for me, Rosial. I’ll definitely get strong enough to rescue you! Just wait and be strong for me.
★★★★★★
Drakas City, the capital of the Kingdom of Drakas. Otherwise known as the Silver City, is built around a singular mountain in the middle of a vast plain. The city itself is composed of four layers, with each layer rising higher up the mountain. The name “Silver City” comes from the coloration of masonry. The walls and buildings of the upper two rings are made of mythril bricks. Although expensive, this unique construction imparts a strong resistance to mana, partially shielding the city from powerful magic attacks.
At the peak of the mountain sits the Royal Palace, home to the King and his family. The fourth ring, arrayed around the palace on the high slopes rests the Noble Quarter, this ring holds the manors of the Noble families who reside in the capital. The Noble Quarter is separated from the third ring by a wall of Mythril. The third ring, named the Upper City, holds many large buildings and manors.
The upper city is home to the wealthy among the commoners, as well as civilian retainers of the nobility. It is separated from the Lower City by a wall of Mythril, though smaller than the higher wall. The second ring, named the Lower City, is home to the commoners of the capital. Important buildings such as warehouses and courtrooms can also be found in the second ring. Though not made of Mythril, the buildings in the second and first rings are painted with silver coloring in order to match and unify the appearance of the city; even for a kingdom as large as Drakas, Mythril is not so commonplace that it can be used to build the homes of commoners.
The second ring runs from roughly halfway up the mountain to its base, where it is separated from the Slum by a thick and high outer wall. This wall has four gates, one facing each point of the compass, through which entry into the city can be obtained. The slum, arrayed around the outer wall has no wall or fence to protect itself and is made up of densely packed small hovels. The overwhelming majority of residents live in this part of the city, and it extends for several miles on all sides of the outer wall.
Contrary to its name, not all parts of the slum are poor. The closer one resides to the outer wall the better off they are financially. The “true slum” begins roughly two kilometers from the outer wall and is populated by Criminals and Vagabonds. The closer to the very edge of the slums one finds themselves, the more unsavory the people. The more unsavory the people the more unsavory the businesses.
While Brothels and Slave markets can be found in the Lower City, those are regulated under Drakas Law. The various establishments in the outer perimeter of the Slums have a reputation for asking no questions and taking any customers. Jacqueline had informed me that indeed, even some Nobles with peculiar tastes could occasionally be found visiting the outer slums in disguise.
It was into these outer slums that I found myself entering around four pm. I recalled the information my father had told me about the capital as I gazed out the window and observed a group of children dressed in rags chasing a flea-bitten mongrel with a large stick. Sana had turned away from the window with a disgusted look on her face. To spare my friend, I pulled a curtain shut blocking out our sight. “[######]” I cast the only spell available to me with level one flame magic and lit the lamp hanging in the center of our wagon.
“We should be through this part of the city within a half-hour.” Sana nodded gratefully to me, while Giogi was glaring angrily at the carriage door. Those kids probably make him think of his past self huh, “Giogi, do not do anything stupid. We might be in a carriage bearing a temporary noble’s crest, but it would take the guard long enough to get to us if a fight broke out.”
“I know that Stahlia, it’s just… how could those kids be so cruel to that dog?” I could only shake my head; Giogi was still ten and unlike me, he didn’t have a past life to draw experiences from. He also was blissfully unaware of this kingdom’s dark side. People are cruel after all. That was the one common factor I had gathered from both my lives.
Sure enough, we arrived at the eastern gate without incident before the hour was up. As our carriage bore a noble’s crest we were fast-tracked through the inspection and let into the Lower City without much fuss. Once we were inside, I snuffed out the flame and opened the curtains. The sun was behind the mountain from where we were, casting the lower city into shadow. Still, it was beautiful.
Wrought iron lamp posts were placed sporadically along the major street we traveled down, each lamp was fitted with a Light Crystal. Light Crystals were a refined magic stone enchanted with the Light element. My Red Mage tutor had touched upon the refining of magic crystals, but as he had little experience on the subject himself, we had only briefly covered the topic. According to him, the enchantment being used by the lights in the capital would absorb the Light of the Goddess during the day, and then release it at night. The sporadically placed lamps, combined with the lights coming from within the shops made the Lower City seem to glow in the gloomy world.
Sana was looking out the window with an openly amazed expression. This late at night there were no longer that many people out, or so I could assume, but even then, the number of people was still comparable to what we had seen in Fess. Giogi was likewise looking around with a gleefully excited gaze. If I had not had experience with large urban centers I would probably be shocked as well, but I had already established that large towns in this world had a lot of people living in them, so I had somewhat expected this sight in the capital.
One thing I had not been expecting was the layout. While the capital was clearly well planned, with circular streets wrapped all the way around the city, and four main roads cutting straight up the side of the mountain, it seemed the concept of zoning was unknown. While Ris and Fess had designated market squares, shops in this city were interspersed seemingly at random among what were clearly primitive, by Earth standards, apartment complexes. I could only imagine that it would be a nightmare for an outsider like myself to find anything specific, and there would be no way for me to know if I had found a high-quality establishment or not.
Still, I don’t imagine I will have any real cause to enter the lower city too often. I do want to be prepared in case I have to though… “Jacqueline, please have Count Francois locate a suitable guide in case I should have need of returning here. I imagine the city may have changed a great deal since you were here last.”
While Jacqueline’s occupation as a Shadow was secret from Giogi and Sana they were under the impression that Jacqueline had once served a noble family that lived here. Jacqueline nodded and gave her assent to my direction.
We soon arrived at the gate leading us into the Upper City, and we were let through without much delay thanks to the Noble Crest on our carriage. This level was where the Central Temple was located so, at Sana’s request, the driver made a detour off the main road and took one of the circular streets. We arrived at the central temple and Sana let herself out of the carriage.
Looking out past her, I was astonished at the scale of this temple; the one in Fess had been near twice the size of the one in Ris, but here in the capital, the Center Temple was nearly eight times the size of the temple in Fess. It was completely enclosed in its own wall, cutting it off from the Upper City. Evenly spaced around the wall were statues of the twelve gods and goddesses similar to the little figurines I recalled from the dedication ritual, though these were much, much larger.
Whereas the figurines had been roughly 1:7 scale, the statues along the temple wall were closer to 7:1. What’s more, rather than being painted the color of the season, these statues were made of precious metals. Oxidized Copper for Spring, Silver for Summer, Gold for Autumn, and White Gold for Winter. Just how much money was spent on that…? Indeed, this world still used the gold standard for its currency. Even if these statues were hollow, I could only see them as priceless. Even more audaciously grandiose were the two statues at the peak of the temple.
One was of a woman facing the east and was sparkling faintly from the lights below it; based on the coloration I could only assume it was made of gemstone, probably yellow diamond. The other was of a man facing the west, his statue was a glassy blackish purple that I could assume was obsidian or onyx. The man and the woman looked like giants from this distance, so they must have been massive.
“Fufufu, the Temple is gorgeous is it not, Stahlia?” Sana was gleaming up at me while waiting for an attendant priest to finish unloading her belongings.
I shook off my stupefied face and smiled down at her, “Yes, it is simply amazing. I am honestly jealous you get to live in a place like this while Giogi and I will be stuck in the Noble’s Quarter.”
Sana glanced towards the Nobles Quarter further up the mountain with a somewhat wistful look.
“…Yes, though I wish I was able to stay with you… it will be lonely living by myself… so far from our village. you need to promise to visit me, Stahlia!” I could agree to that request easily enough, but if I would actually be able to was another story entirely. I still didn’t know how restrictive the Francois family would be; I was nominally engaged to Dominic after all.
“…I can’t promise it will be often until I have spoken with Count Francois and Lord Dominic… Still, I have experience sneaking out so I should be able to visit from time to time.” Sana gave me an exasperated glare.
“Stahlia, you do not have to ‘sneak out’ you can always summon me from the temple you know…” Ah, she does have a point. The Francois are a count family after all. Still, summoning an apprentice priestess for tea might be a bit much… I’ll have to ask them.
I grinned at Sana and, seeing that the attendant priest had finished collecting her belongings, bid her farewell with a promise that I would ask after her to Count Francois. Our carriage departed and made its way back to the main road. We rode in silence, Giogi was visibly tense as we approached the gate to the Noble’s Quarter. Right, the last time he met Dominic he got his ass beat. Come to think of it, the last time I met Dominic I beat his ass… I felt my stomach twist up.
The guard at the gate to the Noble’s Quarter, unlike the previous gates, did not let us straight through. Upon confirming us with our driver, he signaled, and a carriage was brought over for us. As we were currently in a travel carriage designed for long distances, we were to transfer our belongings over into this new carriage before entering the Noble Quarter.
Once all the luggage had been moved over, the Driver removed the Ris Crests from the doors of his carriage and presented them to Jacqueline who then affixed them to our new carriage. Apparently, this carriage was a gift to me from Count Francois for use while I was in the city; I could not use one of his before the wedding since I was expected to bear only my own family’s crest. Once the new Crests were properly affixed one of the guards climbed up into the coachman’s seat and we boarded.
The interior of the new carriage was, in a word, extravagant. The furnishings probably cost about as much as my entire house back in Ris. The seats were made of velvet, a material I had not expected to find in this world. The walls were coated in a lacy floral pattern, with a rich dark brown varnished wood edging. The lamp was a magic tool that could be activated by placing a magic stone in the correct receptacle rather than a simple wax candle. The fluffy cushioned benches we were sitting on were made of what appeared to be engraved copper. Smiling grimly to myself, I steeled my resolve as we passed through the gate.
We rode quickly through the Noble Quarter, arriving at an estate located about three-quarters of the way to the castle gates. Looking out from the carriage window, I could see a servant vanishing into the home, likely to inform the Francois family of our arrival. I quickly patted myself down, making sure I was presentable; for better or worse, I had to force myself to play the role of Dominic’s Fiancée for the next several years in order to gather information and hone my skills in preparation for the festival of burning.
Before long, a man I recognized as Count Francois excited the main building. Accompanying him was Dominic and a woman I didn’t yet know. Based on her attire, however, I could reasonably assume that she was Lady Francois. I didn’t know if Count Francois had a second or third wife, but I could assume this was Dominic’s mother due to the social conventions for greeting a noble child’s betrothed that had been drilled into me by my own mother. Jacqueline exited the carriage first and stood to the side to make room for Giogi to climb down.
Giogi stood to the side, back straight with a hand on his sword-hilt; the pose expected of a guard knight waiting on his lord or lady in an unfamiliar place. The approaching Francois trio stopped about three meters away from the carriage, and I stood up in the doorway. Dominic closed the remaining distance and held out a hand towards me. Taking his hand I allowed him to help me down the steps, suppressing my revulsion at the action. Strangely, the whole time I held his hand, there was an odd tingling, not unlike the feeling I had gotten when Stil evolved. Once was on the ground, I expected that he would be introducing me to his mother.
“You are wearing the earrings I had sent to you; they compliment your dark hair well." Then, without seeking my permission, he lightly touched my ear around where the pearl was fastened. I was momentarily taken aback by the action but managed to force a smile, “Ahem, Thank you, Lord Dominic. Is that your mother I presume?”
My voice was stiffer than I would have liked, but thankfully he seemed to get the hint, as he removed his hand from my ear and led me by his other hand to his parents, “Mother, this is my Fiancée father and I spoke of. Lady Stahlia von Ris, daughter of Baron Fynn von Ris. Lady Stahlia, this is my mother; Lady Margeritte von Francois wife of Count Nikolaus von Francois.”
Margeritte looked down at me with a stern expression, I had no desire to antagonize the lady of the house I was ostensibly marrying into. Especially not if I was planning to be housed on their estate for the foreseeable future. I really can’t afford a bad impression here… While I was formulating my response, I took a moment to look over Margeritte carefully.
She was obviously beautiful, but she had a stern face. Her hair was a very light blonde; Dominic’s own hair seemed to be his father’s brown diluted by his mother’s blonde. Her eyes were the same deep green as Dominic but lacked the glint I had noticed in them when he visited Ris Village.
I curtsied while slightly bowing my head, “Lady Margeritte von Francois, I am Lady Stahlia von Ris daughter of Baron Fynn von Ris. As I am engaged to Lord Dominic, I pray that we will get along favorably both now and in the future.”
Margeritte looked me over impassively as I gave my greeting and, after a moment, her stern face melted into a pleasantly warm smile, “My, I had my doubts when I learned your family was only recently granted a peerage, but you are exemplary well raised. Lady Stahlia, I am Lady Margeritte von Francois. You may call me ‘mother’ if you wish.”
She punctuated her introduction with a full curtsy of her own; as her house was higher status than my own, she was only socially obligated to half curtsy. It seems I made a good impression. Trying my best not to gag on the words, I thanked her, “…Then …Mother, I look forward to the time we will spend together.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Count Francois breathing a sigh of relief, apparently, he had not expected this introduction to go well. It’s a good thing I decided to purchase the [Blue Blooded] skill, it’s already paying for itself.
Ushering us inside, I was introduced to the other present members of the family. Lord Fredrick was Dominic’s older brother. He was eighteen and served in the royal guard, he was the spitting image of his father, but much more muscular. Lady Sanatori was apparently the wife of Count Francois’ first son, who was not present; Lord Nietzsche was doing his duty as the heir and attending to the Francois holdings while his father dealt with the other nobles in the capital.
Sanatori was what I could only describe as demure. She was only slightly taller than my current self, so I had a feeling I would be taller than her when I was finished growing. Her hair was the same blonde as Margeritte, and while not as dark, they had similar green eyes. Nietzsche has an Oedipus complex maybe? Or is he a lolicon? His wife is similarly proportioned to me, and I’m ten! Let’s make a mental note to distance myself from him whenever possible, he seems to have strange tastes.
The last member of the family to be introduced was… “Hiya! I’m Elienor Francois! Nice to meetcha!”
…Dominic’s little sister, the nine-year-old Elienor von Francois. She had a tomboy personality and a rough manner of speech highly unbefitting a young noble lady. Her hair was nominally blonde but had streaks of pinkish-red in it that I could only assume were dyed. Her eyes were the bright blue of her father.
“Elienor, what have we told you about your behavior?” Margeritte’s voice was calm but the look in her eyes was scary. Elienor didn’t flinch, however, indicating this was a usual conversation for her.
“Well, Stali is set on marrying big bro right? Only makes sense she should meet the real me dontcha think ma?” So I’m ‘Stali’ now? Also, can’t you see your mother’s eyes? You sure you should… oh, there it is. Margeritte had delivered a firm chop down on Elienor’s head.
“My apologies Stahlia, Elienor has a few rough edges that refuse to buff out. Agnes! Please escort Elienor to her room and be sure she stays there.” A woman wearing a maid uniform similar to Jacqueline’s stepped forward and grabbed Elienor’s hand before pulling her out of the room while bowing repeatedly to those of us who remained.
“Now, it is late so why do we not resume our talks in the morning? Stahlia, these two will be assigned to you while you stay with us; I have had them prepare one of the guest houses for your use and the manservants have already brought your things there. Frieda, Lucy, if you will. Giogi, a room has been prepared for you in the knight’s barracks.” At Count Francois’ words, two maids stepped forward.
Frieda seemed to be slightly younger than Jacqueline. She had an elegant face and straight blonde hair that was ever so common in this kingdom. Lucy was shorter, appearing to be no more than twelve. She had white hair and red eyes with very pale skin, but what really stood out were her ears; tapering into points she was clearly an elf. The two curtsied to me and Frieda spoke on their behalf.
“Lady Stahlia, we will show you to the guest house. Master Giogi, the knight’s barracks is on the way so if you accompany us we can likewise lead you to your own accommodations.” Jacqueline gave her a hard look, at first I thought fearfully that Jacqueline had recognized a former colleague but after a moment she lightened her gaze and smiled.
“You two seem capable, I look forward to working with you in care of the young Lady.” Ah, she was evaluating them as maids, not Assassins. Frieda curtsied to Jacqueline and thanked her for the high evaluation and then led us to the guest house. Giogi seemed upset to leave, but I knew why he was being housed elsewhere; the Francois family could hardly permit an unmarried male the same age as me to live together. Traveling was one thing, but when it came to permanent residence society was much stricter.
Arriving at my guesthouse, I was a bit startled. This side building, which was connected to the main house by a short hallway, was nearly as large as my home back in Ris. When we entered the foyer, I was greeted by Stil who had been brought straight here. He dolefully looked up at me from his place in front of the hearth, his expression all but screaming “It’s cold! Turn this thing on already!” Chuckling to myself, I asked Lucy to light the hearth while Frieda showed Jacqueline around.
After Lucy finished, she returned to my side. As Jacqueline was still being given the short tour the two of us, three if you count Stil, were alone, “Lucy, please forgive me if I seem rude; I have not had the opportunity to meet an Elf due to Ris Village’s remoteness. Are your people common in the Kingdom at large?”
She smiled wanly at me but didn’t seem upset, “No Lady Stahlia, Dark Elves are hardly common. Most Elves keep to themselves secluded in their own lands. Only those of us who are beset by the desire to travel, or were exiled for some reason are found in this kingdom.”
Somewhat surprised, I looked her over again, “Those taken by the urge to travel? You hardly look older than me. Also, from what I learned in my lessons would you not be a High Elf?” I made sure to keep my tone as polite as possible, to not insult her. Hopefully, I was portraying myself as innocently curious about the world. She didn’t seem offended at all and smiled as she answered my questions.
“Lady Stahlia, surely you learned of Elves’ lifespans; we live far longer than humans but also age slower. I may look to be only a human child, but I am nearly twenty-five this year. As for my race, you are correct. By blood, I am a High Elf. However, when I was exiled due to my albinism, I was given the title ‘Dark Elf’ it means ‘One who has forgotten their family.’” So Dark Elves are outcasts from the normal elven lands huh? That’s pretty sad; Lucy seems very nice.
I apologized to Lucy for prying into what was no doubt a sensitive topic, no matter how much she would insist to the contrary. So this world has stereotyped racist purity-obsessed High Elves, but the Dark Elves aren’t a race at all, rather a social class among elven kind? I wonder how that would have worked if I had picked Dark elf during my character creation... it certainly seemed like they were being treated as a race there… In any case, let’s make a mental note to avoid the High Elven kingdoms. I don’t want to have to deal with their bullshit.
Right as she finished answering me, Jacqueline and Frieda returned, “Lady Stahlia, the accommodations you have been given are most excellent. Frieda has informed me that Count Francois instructed a late dinner be sent to us that we may relax from our journey. In the morning, he would like to meet with you to discuss the specifics of your enrollment.”
I confirmed that that would be acceptable, and Jacqueline sent Frieda off to deliver a response to Count Francois’ request for a meeting.
A little while later, I was seated at a small table. Lucy and Frieda had already eaten dinner earlier in preparation for our arrival, so Frieda attended to me while Jacqueline ate in a side room and Lucy prepared my bed. The meal was extravagant for a “late dinner”, consisting of three courses. Firstly, was a light soup made of broth and some fowl that tasted vaguely like a duck.
Second, was a wheat noodle dish resembling Alfredo, lastly was a small cake made with chocolate and dusted tea leaves. Fortunately, Frieda thought to warn me so I was able to conserve room to eat from all three; it would have been incredibly rude for me to send any of the dishes back without having touched them at all.
I made sure to fish out a few pieces of pseudo-duck for Stil, a sight that surprised Frieda until I explained that it was part of my tamer’s bond with him that I would feed him a portion of the same food I ate. Retiring to my bedroom, I was bathed by Lucy and finally allowed into bed. Sinking deeply into the mattress, I could only marvel at how much of a difference in lifestyle there was between a count family in the capital and a remote baron family.
I woke early the next morning. Normally, I would now sneak out of bed and do some light training, but I had opted to put that on hold for the near future, at least until I got to know my new environment better. Still, I woke earlier than would normally be expected from someone in my station which meant I was able to catch Lucy moving quietly around my room setting out clothes and replacing the water pitcher.
Magic could be used to outright create water, but mages and tools that could do so in large quantities were extremely expensive so even wealthy nobles still drew water from a well. Though they did use magic to treat it thereby preventing many varieties of illness.
Hoping lightly out of bed I employed my sneak talent to slip up behind Lucy; I was curious how my purchased talent stacked up against an Elf’s perception. Before I had a chance to do anything though, she turned about “Good morning, Lady Stahlia. You are up early, are you not?” Hiding my surprise, I stepped back and greeted her.
“Good morning, Lucy. No, I don’t think I am up particularly early; I did go to bed sooner than I usually would after all.” Catching a quick passing frown fly across her face, I continued, “Do not worry about forcing yourself to rise before me; I am aware how difficult that can make life for an attendant. Jacqueline and I have an arrangement wherein, if I wake up before she is ready for me, I will simply occupy myself with a book or by practicing simple magic until she has finished her preparations.”
Of course, I knew what I was saying flew in the face of what a master would normally say to their maid, but I was hoping to gain a little freedom here for myself; if Lucy were to force herself to wake up before me it would wear on her and would also detract from potential morning training time.
Thankfully, after thinking over my words for a short time, Lucy nodded, “I see, if that is how you usually are, I will emulate mistress Jacqueline in this. Yesterday Lady Margeritte did instruct us that you may be a little different than a normal noble but that we should accommodate you as best we can, within reason.”
Wow, turns out I must have made a much more favorable impression on Margeritte than I thought. To think a woman that strict on her own daughter would be so accommodating to her daughter-in-law to be. In any case, I was dressed and had my hair done up before Lucy escorted me to the dining hall in the main house. Presumably, I would be eating here on occasion when someone in the main house had business with me, while normally I would be eating in my side house as I was not officially a member of the Francois family. The breakfast served was a thick grain strained into a paste and sweetened with honey. It most resembled oatmeal and was something I had not eaten when living in Ris.
After the meal, I was led to a waiting room. Jacqueline and Frieda were still absent, I assumed Jacqueline was carrying out her earlier order to learn about the town. As for Frieda, I had no idea. After a short while, Count Francois called for me to enter. When I was let in, I was surprised to find Dominic sitting on a lounge while Count Francois was seated behind a large desk. There was another man I did not recognize sitting across from Dominic.
Dominic stood when I entered, and taking my hand, led me to the lounge seat. It was large enough for three people to sit comfortably, and at his escort, I took a seat at one end. Dominic sat back down and Count Francois cleared his throat. “Stahlia, this is Duke Percius. He is the headmaster of the Royal Academy and has requested to meet you ahead of your enrollment next week.”
As I had been led to sit down before introductions, I gave a slight bow in lieu of a courtesy, “Duke Percius, I am honored you would desire to see me, I am Lady Stahlia von Ris. To what do I owe the pleasure of this audience?” I omitted my father’s name from the introduction since both my presumed future father-in-law and Fiancée were present, and Duke Percius was not a member of either of our houses.
Presumably pleased with my introduction, Percius smiled and gave a slight bow of his own. “Lady Stahlia, I am Duke Percius, in service to the King I administer the Royal Academy. Your achievements spread ahead of you, and I most look forward to your time as a student. Blessed by one of the Winter Pantheon, an accomplished Alchemist with many revolutionary developments, and already capable of Red Magic, all at your young age. Indeed, I am most looking forward to seeing how you will flourish at the academy.” Ok, that’s a bit much. I could feel my cheeks reddening slightly. Glancing at Dominic and Count Francois, both of them had an inscrutable expression; clearly, I was expected to answer this for myself.
“I see, I as well, am greatly looking forward to my time at the Academy.” Percius nodded, that was the answer he had been expecting.
“Stahlia, as you know, the enrollment period for a young Lady is three years, following which you would return home to attend bridal training.” I nodded at that, although I had no intention of attending any such special training it was a fact that my time at the academy was limited by law. For reference, male students would spend five years at the academy. Dominic was two years older than me and entering his third year, so we would actually end up graduating at the same time. Percius continued.
“Our Lord the King has instructed me to allow you entrance into the Special Student Program” That comment got a reaction from Dominic, though it seemed Count Francois had already been aware.
“Lady Stahlia, a woman, a Special Student? Before even her first year?” Percius silenced Dominic with a wave of his hand.
“Indeed, it is almost unprecedented, but it would serve a great boon for your house would it not Dominic?” Dominic fell silent and nodded quickly while shooting his father a look. “You could have told me!” It seemed to say.
“Um, Duke Percius… Forgive me, but Ris Village is remote and my family only received peerage but recently. I am unaware, what is Special Student?” Percius nodded, probably he expected me not to know.
“Special Students are the top members of the enrolled student body; the position comes with several perks not available to the main student body, though it also comes with some obligations. As for those perks, well, me coming here personally would be one of them; As the headmaster of the Academy, it is one of my duties to directly oversee the Special Students in their studies and render assistance for their projects when they request it. Additionally, you will be permitted to forgo the usual classes, as long as you are able to test out of them. In place of the normal class schedule, you may take any class you wish to. For example; despite being a first year, you could enroll yourself in the third year magic courses as long as you pass the tests for the first and second year prerequisites.”
That sounds really useful, I can test out of all the math, writing, and sciences thanks to my past life and blame it on my home tutors. Stuff like Geography and history might be a bit harder; I only know Drakas Kingdom stuff, the temple and my tutors didn’t cover foreign regions. But there was also that part about obligations… “That sounds like an enticing offer Duke Percius… I hesitate to ask, but what are the obligations?”
Percius nodded to me again and explained, “All the Special Students are nominally enrolled into either the Knight or Mages order while they are students. They may be dispatched to deal with issues arising near the royal capital. In and of itself, it is not very demanding and while on dispatch you are of course excused from classes. However, you will be expected to help put down monsters and the like.”
Well, I can see how a normal noble girl might balk at that; that must be why Dominic was so surprised they would offer a woman a position like this. But for me, that would mean I can keep earning experience while stuck in the capital.
Making sure to portray myself as deep in thought, I asked a question in a hesitating voice, “Fighting… what kinds of monsters could I expect to run into if I should be dispatched...?”
I heard Dominic sigh from beside me; he understood I was perfectly fine with fighting from the incident two years ago. I caught his father shooting him a glare for letting his noble façade slip. Percius seemed deep in thought, then answered in a level tone, “Goblins, Wild Stawri, the Occasional Orc… I believe the most dangerous thing you would encounter in the region the Special Students are dispatched to would likely be a Murder-Rabbit.” A what? A rabbit is more dangerous than an Orc?
After making myself look thoughtful for another minute, I gave my answer, “Duke Percius, I would like to nominally accept the position. Assuming I can test out of the first and second-year courses, please have me enrolled in Fourth Year Red Magic, as well as Blue, Green, and Yellow magic at the lowest level. If I do well there, I would also like to study Black and White magic next year.” Magic is one thing, but they would probably balk if I asked to be trained with swords too. Besides, I have Jacqueline for that, “Other than those, please place me in any classes you believe I would do well to take.”
Duke Percius looked surprised for a moment, but quickly composed himself, “Well, I can understand the appeal and according to your tutor you did manage to pick up red magic quite quickly, so I am curious to see how you do in the other branches. I will make the arrangements for you.”
Of course, he would be surprised though; magic affinities were a thing. It wasn’t like not having an affinity meant you couldn’t learn a school. Anyone could learn to cast any type of magic, however, mana consumption would go down drastically if your affinity matched. I had originally thought that the talent had something to do with affinity, but as it turned out affinity was something deeper than that; all having a talent did was allow you to omit the chants, depending on how high its level was.
Still, the mainstream practice was to test your affinities, then study a school you matched with. At most people would learn one or two additional schools, not all six. However even if it made me stand out, this was something I was determined to do. Even with the limited number of Red spells I knew, I had already noticed some patterns in the wording and had theorized some of the underlying meaning. For instance, virtually every Red spell I learned began with the line [##, ####]. I was all but certain that meant "fire", but as for its purpose in the chant, I hadn't the faintest clue.
Frankly, it was curious that nobody seemed to be trying to translate the language used by spell chants; it was almost like there was something preventing it. My Red Mage home tutor had been completely baffled when I pointed out the patterns I was noticing, and seemingly wasn’t able to see them himself. If I was able to glean even a small amount of information it could prove a valuable trump card in my upcoming endeavors, to that end, I needed more and varied samples; hence my desire to enroll in all schools of magic.
After some more idle chatter, Duke Percius bid his farewells and departed leaving me with Dominic and Count Francois. Lucy had been minding a corner in case she was needed and so that I would not be alone with a group of men. After sitting in silence for a moment, Count Francois spoke up.
“Dominic, your fiancée is exceptional. To be able to wrap Duke Percius around her finger that easily. Treat her well so that she does not seek to leave our house.” Wait what does he mean by that?
Dominic was sitting with a somewhat grim look on his face. Did I do something wrong…?
“Count Francois… Did I perhaps overstep myself…?” Count Francois looked at me incredulously.
“You truly did not notice…? Duke Percius never intended to truly offer you the position of a Special Student; it was a formality. He was expecting you would reject it when he brought up the subjugation of monsters. If you had not based your enrollment on the prerequisite that you first passed the first and second-year classes, he was likely to find an excuse to retract the offer and refuse you.” Ah… right, a normal noble girl would have backed off when she heard she would be expected to fight monsters.
“Ah… I did not realize that… Living in Ris Village, I have encountered goblins from time to time so the idea of fighting monsters is not particularly foreign to me… I feel I must apologize for placing you in a difficult spot Count Francois.” I gave Count Francois a half-truth to explain why the idea of monsters didn’t scare me, otherwise, I was worried he would grow suspicious. He shook his head lightly, a smile returning to his face.
“I see, if that is your reasoning it cannot be helped. Still, it will hurt your reputation if you cannot pass those classes. Dominic, instruct your fiancée in what she will need to know to get a passing mark for foreign geography and history. You have one week so do hurry.” Scary… he already knows what my weak points are… just how close does he keep up with my father. And this means I must spend the next days with Dominic almost exclusively! Looking at him sidelong I saw him watching me carefully, with a familiar glint in his eye, the same glint he had gotten when he decided to fight Giogi and the other five boys back in Ris. Scary!
Stahlia Ten Years Old, Second Month of 947
Our carriage was trundling along down a large highway. Surrounded by a vast plain on all sides that stretched to the horizon. In the distance, we could see some clusters of buildings dotted here and there, the various satellite towns that surrounded the capital city. We had departed Fess early this morning, around an hour and a half before the sun rose, and we were making good progress. According to our driver, we should be within sight of Drakas, the capital of the Kingdom of Drakas, wherein King Drakas sat on the throne of Drakas, by mid-evening. It’s like that one Japanese cartoon back on Earth, the one where the Prince, the Planet, and the King all have the same name… Vegetable or something.
Sana and Giogi had both grown bored of the scenery shortly after we entered these vast plains, but after having traveled together for the past few days, they had little left to talk about, so we rode in silence. Personally, I was hoping we would run into some more combat, I had really wanted to hit level ten before having to go to the Royal Academy, but I was less than halfway through level nine, so that was unlikely. Thankfully, I should still be able to get the last skill I wanted; I had discovered in Fess, that entering new regions would give me a small bonus to my Life Points, I only needed ten more and I would be able to “finalize” my current build.
Letting my thoughts wander, I recalled Rosial’s face the last time I had known for sure it had really been her. It had been the night of her Dedication Ritual and she had been crying over the result. I had promised her that I would always walk beside her as her older sister. That had been two years ago now, and I had no idea where she had been taken. Jacqueline had assured me there was little chance she would be in the capital; although the Order of Shadows had facilities there, they would know better than to put her somewhere I might accidentally run into her.
Lost in thought, I was startled back to the present at Sana’s excited cry, “Oh! Look there! You can see the city coming over the horizon!” I looked up out the window and sure enough, there was a hill of white on the horizon. “Is it not beautiful Stahlia? We should be there within the hour!”
I frowned and craned my neck up to check the progress of the sun, it was hardly past midday. “No Sana, I think we are still a good way off; the driver said we would arrive around mid-evening, and it is only just past noon. We can likely only see the city from here because of how big it is.”
Sana grumped at me for raining on her enthusiasm but agreed that I was probably right, recalling how we had still been able to make out the Ris mountains up until halfway through our second day of travel.
I checked my menu to see if being able to see Drakas qualified as entering its region; it did, as I now had 75 Life Points. This was something I had discovered earlier on our journey; namely, I could earn LP from things besides leveling up or leveling up my talents. In this case, traveling around and visiting places for the first time also granted me a small amount of LP. I searched through the skills list and grabbed the one I had been eyeing. Its effect would be perfect for what I needed over the next several years, and it would likely remain useful after that though perhaps a bit diminished, so I didn’t feel like I was wasting my points or skill slot.
“Blue Blooded(75LP): User receives a slight positive correction to Charisma when interacting with members of the Noble or Royal Social Strata. This correction is more effective when the user is perceived as a noble or is otherwise acting with a noble’s affectations but loses almost all effectiveness if the user is not recognized as a noble by their target.”
Regarding the skills and talents I could purchase, it seemed there was some degree of predictability to their costs. The most powerful ones, like Cold Blooded and Prodigy all cost 500LP. Then they were arranged into tiers of 100 points, with the lowest tier being 100. Those like my new Blue Blooded were in their own category I had chosen to call “Exceptions”. These all cost less than 100, and seemed to be discounted due to me meeting some condition or other, in the case of Blue Blooded, it was likely discounted due to my own noble status.
There were a few other skills and talents I had my eye on, and while I would love to go for a bunch of tier fives, I was forced to admit that at 500LP per item, that was a bit unfeasible. I’ll have to find a balance between effectiveness and cost unless I stumble onto a way to get them for free as I did with Cold Hearted, although that one still feels like it was pre-arranged by someone… I could also save points by practicing a talent first, since it seemed talents could be acquired through effort, not just a class, like how I had acquired the fire magic talent by simply practicing fire magic.
All that aside, Blue Blooded should aid me when dealing with the Francois family, as well as the noble children and teachers at the academy. I wasn’t particularly planning on sparing or killing them when I burned this kingdom; unless they were party to those who I was planning to bring down I couldn’t care less. Still, if I was able to make friends and gain allies, I would at least have an easier time gathering information. I confirmed my choice and watched the skill write itself into my menu. Now to test it out…
“Lady Sana, pray tell me, what do you plan to do once we arrive? Personally, I shall be greeting Dominic and Count Francois.” Sana blinked at me before shaking her head rapidly as if to clear away a fog.
“Stahlia, have you been practicing your etiquette when I wasn’t looking? I could hardly recognize you for a moment… I think I will first visit the Central Temple.” Perfect, it looks like the skill worked.
Giogi, who had been observing the exchange just now scoffed. “What do you mean Sana? Stahlia didn’t do anything special just now, she just put on some fancy speech is all.” And that confirms that the skill lacks an effect when the other party doesn’t recognize me as a noble. Good to know. Sana had initially treated me very differently after my father received his barony; I had to go to a great deal of trouble and practically order her to continue treating me the way she used to. Having been raised by the church, she had always been a stickler for things like rules and expectations.
On the other hand, out of all my self-proclaimed “knights” Giogi had been the only one who had become even more drab after my father’s title. It was almost as if me actually having a peerage somehow contradicted his worldview. In any case, Giogi didn’t view me as a member of the nobility. It was a small saving grace that I was genuinely grateful for since it meant that at least one person could always be counted on to treat me normally.
Jacqueline didn’t count; she had pledged her fealty to me as her lady and, although she would reprimand me when I acted dumbly, she endeavored to be the perfect lady in waiting and could hardly be counted on to treat me like a normal person anymore. I had actually had to order her to chide me since, in the days following her pledge, she had started taking my words as gospel for some reason.
Sana and Giogi started bickering over whether or not I had just done anything special, so I tuned them out and focused my gaze on the slowly approaching city. The people who took my sister from me are there. I might be weak now but wait for me, Rosial. I’ll definitely get strong enough to rescue you! Just wait and be strong for me.
★★★★★★
Drakas City, the capital of the Kingdom of Drakas. Otherwise known as the Silver City, is built around a singular mountain in the middle of a vast plain. The city itself is composed of four layers, with each layer rising higher up the mountain. The name “Silver City” comes from the coloration of masonry. The walls and buildings of the upper two rings are made of mythril bricks. Although expensive, this unique construction imparts a strong resistance to mana, partially shielding the city from powerful magic attacks.
At the peak of the mountain sits the Royal Palace, home to the King and his family. The fourth ring, arrayed around the palace on the high slopes rests the Noble Quarter, this ring holds the manors of the Noble families who reside in the capital. The Noble Quarter is separated from the third ring by a wall of Mythril. The third ring, named the Upper City, holds many large buildings and manors.
The upper city is home to the wealthy among the commoners, as well as civilian retainers of the nobility. It is separated from the Lower City by a wall of Mythril, though smaller than the higher wall. The second ring, named the Lower City, is home to the commoners of the capital. Important buildings such as warehouses and courtrooms can also be found in the second ring. Though not made of Mythril, the buildings in the second and first rings are painted with silver coloring in order to match and unify the appearance of the city; even for a kingdom as large as Drakas, Mythril is not so commonplace that it can be used to build the homes of commoners.
The second ring runs from roughly halfway up the mountain to its base, where it is separated from the Slum by a thick and high outer wall. This wall has four gates, one facing each point of the compass, through which entry into the city can be obtained. The slum, arrayed around the outer wall has no wall or fence to protect itself and is made up of densely packed small hovels. The overwhelming majority of residents live in this part of the city, and it extends for several miles on all sides of the outer wall.
Contrary to its name, not all parts of the slum are poor. The closer one resides to the outer wall the better off they are financially. The “true slum” begins roughly two kilometers from the outer wall and is populated by Criminals and Vagabonds. The closer to the very edge of the slums one finds themselves, the more unsavory the people. The more unsavory the people the more unsavory the businesses.
While Brothels and Slave markets can be found in the Lower City, those are regulated under Drakas Law. The various establishments in the outer perimeter of the Slums have a reputation for asking no questions and taking any customers. Jacqueline had informed me that indeed, even some Nobles with peculiar tastes could occasionally be found visiting the outer slums in disguise.
It was into these outer slums that I found myself entering around four pm. I recalled the information my father had told me about the capital as I gazed out the window and observed a group of children dressed in rags chasing a flea-bitten mongrel with a large stick. Sana had turned away from the window with a disgusted look on her face. To spare my friend, I pulled a curtain shut blocking out our sight. “[######]” I cast the only spell available to me with level one flame magic and lit the lamp hanging in the center of our wagon.
“We should be through this part of the city within a half-hour.” Sana nodded gratefully to me, while Giogi was glaring angrily at the carriage door. Those kids probably make him think of his past self huh, “Giogi, do not do anything stupid. We might be in a carriage bearing a temporary noble’s crest, but it would take the guard long enough to get to us if a fight broke out.”
“I know that Stahlia, it’s just… how could those kids be so cruel to that dog?” I could only shake my head; Giogi was still ten and unlike me, he didn’t have a past life to draw experiences from. He also was blissfully unaware of this kingdom’s dark side. People are cruel after all. That was the one common factor I had gathered from both my lives.
Sure enough, we arrived at the eastern gate without incident before the hour was up. As our carriage bore a noble’s crest we were fast-tracked through the inspection and let into the Lower City without much fuss. Once we were inside, I snuffed out the flame and opened the curtains. The sun was behind the mountain from where we were, casting the lower city into shadow. Still, it was beautiful.
Wrought iron lamp posts were placed sporadically along the major street we traveled down, each lamp was fitted with a Light Crystal. Light Crystals were a refined magic stone enchanted with the Light element. My Red Mage tutor had touched upon the refining of magic crystals, but as he had little experience on the subject himself, we had only briefly covered the topic. According to him, the enchantment being used by the lights in the capital would absorb the Light of the Goddess during the day, and then release it at night. The sporadically placed lamps, combined with the lights coming from within the shops made the Lower City seem to glow in the gloomy world.
Sana was looking out the window with an openly amazed expression. This late at night there were no longer that many people out, or so I could assume, but even then, the number of people was still comparable to what we had seen in Fess. Giogi was likewise looking around with a gleefully excited gaze. If I had not had experience with large urban centers I would probably be shocked as well, but I had already established that large towns in this world had a lot of people living in them, so I had somewhat expected this sight in the capital.
One thing I had not been expecting was the layout. While the capital was clearly well planned, with circular streets wrapped all the way around the city, and four main roads cutting straight up the side of the mountain, it seemed the concept of zoning was unknown. While Ris and Fess had designated market squares, shops in this city were interspersed seemingly at random among what were clearly primitive, by Earth standards, apartment complexes. I could only imagine that it would be a nightmare for an outsider like myself to find anything specific, and there would be no way for me to know if I had found a high-quality establishment or not.
Still, I don’t imagine I will have any real cause to enter the lower city too often. I do want to be prepared in case I have to though… “Jacqueline, please have Count Francois locate a suitable guide in case I should have need of returning here. I imagine the city may have changed a great deal since you were here last.”
While Jacqueline’s occupation as a Shadow was secret from Giogi and Sana they were under the impression that Jacqueline had once served a noble family that lived here. Jacqueline nodded and gave her assent to my direction.
We soon arrived at the gate leading us into the Upper City, and we were let through without much delay thanks to the Noble Crest on our carriage. This level was where the Central Temple was located so, at Sana’s request, the driver made a detour off the main road and took one of the circular streets. We arrived at the central temple and Sana let herself out of the carriage.
Looking out past her, I was astonished at the scale of this temple; the one in Fess had been near twice the size of the one in Ris, but here in the capital, the Center Temple was nearly eight times the size of the temple in Fess. It was completely enclosed in its own wall, cutting it off from the Upper City. Evenly spaced around the wall were statues of the twelve gods and goddesses similar to the little figurines I recalled from the dedication ritual, though these were much, much larger.
Whereas the figurines had been roughly 1:7 scale, the statues along the temple wall were closer to 7:1. What’s more, rather than being painted the color of the season, these statues were made of precious metals. Oxidized Copper for Spring, Silver for Summer, Gold for Autumn, and White Gold for Winter. Just how much money was spent on that…? Indeed, this world still used the gold standard for its currency. Even if these statues were hollow, I could only see them as priceless. Even more audaciously grandiose were the two statues at the peak of the temple.
One was of a woman facing the east and was sparkling faintly from the lights below it; based on the coloration I could only assume it was made of gemstone, probably yellow diamond. The other was of a man facing the west, his statue was a glassy blackish purple that I could assume was obsidian or onyx. The man and the woman looked like giants from this distance, so they must have been massive.
“Fufufu, the Temple is gorgeous is it not, Stahlia?” Sana was gleaming up at me while waiting for an attendant priest to finish unloading her belongings.
I shook off my stupefied face and smiled down at her, “Yes, it is simply amazing. I am honestly jealous you get to live in a place like this while Giogi and I will be stuck in the Noble’s Quarter.”
Sana glanced towards the Nobles Quarter further up the mountain with a somewhat wistful look.
“…Yes, though I wish I was able to stay with you… it will be lonely living by myself… so far from our village. you need to promise to visit me, Stahlia!” I could agree to that request easily enough, but if I would actually be able to was another story entirely. I still didn’t know how restrictive the Francois family would be; I was nominally engaged to Dominic after all.
“…I can’t promise it will be often until I have spoken with Count Francois and Lord Dominic… Still, I have experience sneaking out so I should be able to visit from time to time.” Sana gave me an exasperated glare.
“Stahlia, you do not have to ‘sneak out’ you can always summon me from the temple you know…” Ah, she does have a point. The Francois are a count family after all. Still, summoning an apprentice priestess for tea might be a bit much… I’ll have to ask them.
I grinned at Sana and, seeing that the attendant priest had finished collecting her belongings, bid her farewell with a promise that I would ask after her to Count Francois. Our carriage departed and made its way back to the main road. We rode in silence, Giogi was visibly tense as we approached the gate to the Noble’s Quarter. Right, the last time he met Dominic he got his ass beat. Come to think of it, the last time I met Dominic I beat his ass… I felt my stomach twist up.
The guard at the gate to the Noble’s Quarter, unlike the previous gates, did not let us straight through. Upon confirming us with our driver, he signaled, and a carriage was brought over for us. As we were currently in a travel carriage designed for long distances, we were to transfer our belongings over into this new carriage before entering the Noble Quarter.
Once all the luggage had been moved over, the Driver removed the Ris Crests from the doors of his carriage and presented them to Jacqueline who then affixed them to our new carriage. Apparently, this carriage was a gift to me from Count Francois for use while I was in the city; I could not use one of his before the wedding since I was expected to bear only my own family’s crest. Once the new Crests were properly affixed one of the guards climbed up into the coachman’s seat and we boarded.
The interior of the new carriage was, in a word, extravagant. The furnishings probably cost about as much as my entire house back in Ris. The seats were made of velvet, a material I had not expected to find in this world. The walls were coated in a lacy floral pattern, with a rich dark brown varnished wood edging. The lamp was a magic tool that could be activated by placing a magic stone in the correct receptacle rather than a simple wax candle. The fluffy cushioned benches we were sitting on were made of what appeared to be engraved copper. Smiling grimly to myself, I steeled my resolve as we passed through the gate.
We rode quickly through the Noble Quarter, arriving at an estate located about three-quarters of the way to the castle gates. Looking out from the carriage window, I could see a servant vanishing into the home, likely to inform the Francois family of our arrival. I quickly patted myself down, making sure I was presentable; for better or worse, I had to force myself to play the role of Dominic’s Fiancée for the next several years in order to gather information and hone my skills in preparation for the festival of burning.
Before long, a man I recognized as Count Francois excited the main building. Accompanying him was Dominic and a woman I didn’t yet know. Based on her attire, however, I could reasonably assume that she was Lady Francois. I didn’t know if Count Francois had a second or third wife, but I could assume this was Dominic’s mother due to the social conventions for greeting a noble child’s betrothed that had been drilled into me by my own mother. Jacqueline exited the carriage first and stood to the side to make room for Giogi to climb down.
Giogi stood to the side, back straight with a hand on his sword-hilt; the pose expected of a guard knight waiting on his lord or lady in an unfamiliar place. The approaching Francois trio stopped about three meters away from the carriage, and I stood up in the doorway. Dominic closed the remaining distance and held out a hand towards me. Taking his hand I allowed him to help me down the steps, suppressing my revulsion at the action. Strangely, the whole time I held his hand, there was an odd tingling, not unlike the feeling I had gotten when Stil evolved. Once was on the ground, I expected that he would be introducing me to his mother.
“You are wearing the earrings I had sent to you; they compliment your dark hair well." Then, without seeking my permission, he lightly touched my ear around where the pearl was fastened. I was momentarily taken aback by the action but managed to force a smile, “Ahem, Thank you, Lord Dominic. Is that your mother I presume?”
My voice was stiffer than I would have liked, but thankfully he seemed to get the hint, as he removed his hand from my ear and led me by his other hand to his parents, “Mother, this is my Fiancée father and I spoke of. Lady Stahlia von Ris, daughter of Baron Fynn von Ris. Lady Stahlia, this is my mother; Lady Margeritte von Francois wife of Count Nikolaus von Francois.”
Margeritte looked down at me with a stern expression, I had no desire to antagonize the lady of the house I was ostensibly marrying into. Especially not if I was planning to be housed on their estate for the foreseeable future. I really can’t afford a bad impression here… While I was formulating my response, I took a moment to look over Margeritte carefully.
She was obviously beautiful, but she had a stern face. Her hair was a very light blonde; Dominic’s own hair seemed to be his father’s brown diluted by his mother’s blonde. Her eyes were the same deep green as Dominic but lacked the glint I had noticed in them when he visited Ris Village.
I curtsied while slightly bowing my head, “Lady Margeritte von Francois, I am Lady Stahlia von Ris daughter of Baron Fynn von Ris. As I am engaged to Lord Dominic, I pray that we will get along favorably both now and in the future.”
Margeritte looked me over impassively as I gave my greeting and, after a moment, her stern face melted into a pleasantly warm smile, “My, I had my doubts when I learned your family was only recently granted a peerage, but you are exemplary well raised. Lady Stahlia, I am Lady Margeritte von Francois. You may call me ‘mother’ if you wish.”
She punctuated her introduction with a full curtsy of her own; as her house was higher status than my own, she was only socially obligated to half curtsy. It seems I made a good impression. Trying my best not to gag on the words, I thanked her, “…Then …Mother, I look forward to the time we will spend together.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Count Francois breathing a sigh of relief, apparently, he had not expected this introduction to go well. It’s a good thing I decided to purchase the [Blue Blooded] skill, it’s already paying for itself.
Ushering us inside, I was introduced to the other present members of the family. Lord Fredrick was Dominic’s older brother. He was eighteen and served in the royal guard, he was the spitting image of his father, but much more muscular. Lady Sanatori was apparently the wife of Count Francois’ first son, who was not present; Lord Nietzsche was doing his duty as the heir and attending to the Francois holdings while his father dealt with the other nobles in the capital.
Sanatori was what I could only describe as demure. She was only slightly taller than my current self, so I had a feeling I would be taller than her when I was finished growing. Her hair was the same blonde as Margeritte, and while not as dark, they had similar green eyes. Nietzsche has an Oedipus complex maybe? Or is he a lolicon? His wife is similarly proportioned to me, and I’m ten! Let’s make a mental note to distance myself from him whenever possible, he seems to have strange tastes.
The last member of the family to be introduced was… “Hiya! I’m Elienor Francois! Nice to meetcha!”
…Dominic’s little sister, the nine-year-old Elienor von Francois. She had a tomboy personality and a rough manner of speech highly unbefitting a young noble lady. Her hair was nominally blonde but had streaks of pinkish-red in it that I could only assume were dyed. Her eyes were the bright blue of her father.
“Elienor, what have we told you about your behavior?” Margeritte’s voice was calm but the look in her eyes was scary. Elienor didn’t flinch, however, indicating this was a usual conversation for her.
“Well, Stali is set on marrying big bro right? Only makes sense she should meet the real me dontcha think ma?” So I’m ‘Stali’ now? Also, can’t you see your mother’s eyes? You sure you should… oh, there it is. Margeritte had delivered a firm chop down on Elienor’s head.
“My apologies Stahlia, Elienor has a few rough edges that refuse to buff out. Agnes! Please escort Elienor to her room and be sure she stays there.” A woman wearing a maid uniform similar to Jacqueline’s stepped forward and grabbed Elienor’s hand before pulling her out of the room while bowing repeatedly to those of us who remained.
“Now, it is late so why do we not resume our talks in the morning? Stahlia, these two will be assigned to you while you stay with us; I have had them prepare one of the guest houses for your use and the manservants have already brought your things there. Frieda, Lucy, if you will. Giogi, a room has been prepared for you in the knight’s barracks.” At Count Francois’ words, two maids stepped forward.
Frieda seemed to be slightly younger than Jacqueline. She had an elegant face and straight blonde hair that was ever so common in this kingdom. Lucy was shorter, appearing to be no more than twelve. She had white hair and red eyes with very pale skin, but what really stood out were her ears; tapering into points she was clearly an elf. The two curtsied to me and Frieda spoke on their behalf.
“Lady Stahlia, we will show you to the guest house. Master Giogi, the knight’s barracks is on the way so if you accompany us we can likewise lead you to your own accommodations.” Jacqueline gave her a hard look, at first I thought fearfully that Jacqueline had recognized a former colleague but after a moment she lightened her gaze and smiled.
“You two seem capable, I look forward to working with you in care of the young Lady.” Ah, she was evaluating them as maids, not Assassins. Frieda curtsied to Jacqueline and thanked her for the high evaluation and then led us to the guest house. Giogi seemed upset to leave, but I knew why he was being housed elsewhere; the Francois family could hardly permit an unmarried male the same age as me to live together. Traveling was one thing, but when it came to permanent residence society was much stricter.
Arriving at my guesthouse, I was a bit startled. This side building, which was connected to the main house by a short hallway, was nearly as large as my home back in Ris. When we entered the foyer, I was greeted by Stil who had been brought straight here. He dolefully looked up at me from his place in front of the hearth, his expression all but screaming “It’s cold! Turn this thing on already!” Chuckling to myself, I asked Lucy to light the hearth while Frieda showed Jacqueline around.
After Lucy finished, she returned to my side. As Jacqueline was still being given the short tour the two of us, three if you count Stil, were alone, “Lucy, please forgive me if I seem rude; I have not had the opportunity to meet an Elf due to Ris Village’s remoteness. Are your people common in the Kingdom at large?”
She smiled wanly at me but didn’t seem upset, “No Lady Stahlia, Dark Elves are hardly common. Most Elves keep to themselves secluded in their own lands. Only those of us who are beset by the desire to travel, or were exiled for some reason are found in this kingdom.”
Somewhat surprised, I looked her over again, “Those taken by the urge to travel? You hardly look older than me. Also, from what I learned in my lessons would you not be a High Elf?” I made sure to keep my tone as polite as possible, to not insult her. Hopefully, I was portraying myself as innocently curious about the world. She didn’t seem offended at all and smiled as she answered my questions.
“Lady Stahlia, surely you learned of Elves’ lifespans; we live far longer than humans but also age slower. I may look to be only a human child, but I am nearly twenty-five this year. As for my race, you are correct. By blood, I am a High Elf. However, when I was exiled due to my albinism, I was given the title ‘Dark Elf’ it means ‘One who has forgotten their family.’” So Dark Elves are outcasts from the normal elven lands huh? That’s pretty sad; Lucy seems very nice.
I apologized to Lucy for prying into what was no doubt a sensitive topic, no matter how much she would insist to the contrary. So this world has stereotyped racist purity-obsessed High Elves, but the Dark Elves aren’t a race at all, rather a social class among elven kind? I wonder how that would have worked if I had picked Dark elf during my character creation... it certainly seemed like they were being treated as a race there… In any case, let’s make a mental note to avoid the High Elven kingdoms. I don’t want to have to deal with their bullshit.
Right as she finished answering me, Jacqueline and Frieda returned, “Lady Stahlia, the accommodations you have been given are most excellent. Frieda has informed me that Count Francois instructed a late dinner be sent to us that we may relax from our journey. In the morning, he would like to meet with you to discuss the specifics of your enrollment.”
I confirmed that that would be acceptable, and Jacqueline sent Frieda off to deliver a response to Count Francois’ request for a meeting.
A little while later, I was seated at a small table. Lucy and Frieda had already eaten dinner earlier in preparation for our arrival, so Frieda attended to me while Jacqueline ate in a side room and Lucy prepared my bed. The meal was extravagant for a “late dinner”, consisting of three courses. Firstly, was a light soup made of broth and some fowl that tasted vaguely like a duck.
Second, was a wheat noodle dish resembling Alfredo, lastly was a small cake made with chocolate and dusted tea leaves. Fortunately, Frieda thought to warn me so I was able to conserve room to eat from all three; it would have been incredibly rude for me to send any of the dishes back without having touched them at all.
I made sure to fish out a few pieces of pseudo-duck for Stil, a sight that surprised Frieda until I explained that it was part of my tamer’s bond with him that I would feed him a portion of the same food I ate. Retiring to my bedroom, I was bathed by Lucy and finally allowed into bed. Sinking deeply into the mattress, I could only marvel at how much of a difference in lifestyle there was between a count family in the capital and a remote baron family.
I woke early the next morning. Normally, I would now sneak out of bed and do some light training, but I had opted to put that on hold for the near future, at least until I got to know my new environment better. Still, I woke earlier than would normally be expected from someone in my station which meant I was able to catch Lucy moving quietly around my room setting out clothes and replacing the water pitcher.
Magic could be used to outright create water, but mages and tools that could do so in large quantities were extremely expensive so even wealthy nobles still drew water from a well. Though they did use magic to treat it thereby preventing many varieties of illness.
Hoping lightly out of bed I employed my sneak talent to slip up behind Lucy; I was curious how my purchased talent stacked up against an Elf’s perception. Before I had a chance to do anything though, she turned about “Good morning, Lady Stahlia. You are up early, are you not?” Hiding my surprise, I stepped back and greeted her.
“Good morning, Lucy. No, I don’t think I am up particularly early; I did go to bed sooner than I usually would after all.” Catching a quick passing frown fly across her face, I continued, “Do not worry about forcing yourself to rise before me; I am aware how difficult that can make life for an attendant. Jacqueline and I have an arrangement wherein, if I wake up before she is ready for me, I will simply occupy myself with a book or by practicing simple magic until she has finished her preparations.”
Of course, I knew what I was saying flew in the face of what a master would normally say to their maid, but I was hoping to gain a little freedom here for myself; if Lucy were to force herself to wake up before me it would wear on her and would also detract from potential morning training time.
Thankfully, after thinking over my words for a short time, Lucy nodded, “I see, if that is how you usually are, I will emulate mistress Jacqueline in this. Yesterday Lady Margeritte did instruct us that you may be a little different than a normal noble but that we should accommodate you as best we can, within reason.”
Wow, turns out I must have made a much more favorable impression on Margeritte than I thought. To think a woman that strict on her own daughter would be so accommodating to her daughter-in-law to be. In any case, I was dressed and had my hair done up before Lucy escorted me to the dining hall in the main house. Presumably, I would be eating here on occasion when someone in the main house had business with me, while normally I would be eating in my side house as I was not officially a member of the Francois family. The breakfast served was a thick grain strained into a paste and sweetened with honey. It most resembled oatmeal and was something I had not eaten when living in Ris.
After the meal, I was led to a waiting room. Jacqueline and Frieda were still absent, I assumed Jacqueline was carrying out her earlier order to learn about the town. As for Frieda, I had no idea. After a short while, Count Francois called for me to enter. When I was let in, I was surprised to find Dominic sitting on a lounge while Count Francois was seated behind a large desk. There was another man I did not recognize sitting across from Dominic.
Dominic stood when I entered, and taking my hand, led me to the lounge seat. It was large enough for three people to sit comfortably, and at his escort, I took a seat at one end. Dominic sat back down and Count Francois cleared his throat. “Stahlia, this is Duke Percius. He is the headmaster of the Royal Academy and has requested to meet you ahead of your enrollment next week.”
As I had been led to sit down before introductions, I gave a slight bow in lieu of a courtesy, “Duke Percius, I am honored you would desire to see me, I am Lady Stahlia von Ris. To what do I owe the pleasure of this audience?” I omitted my father’s name from the introduction since both my presumed future father-in-law and Fiancée were present, and Duke Percius was not a member of either of our houses.
Presumably pleased with my introduction, Percius smiled and gave a slight bow of his own. “Lady Stahlia, I am Duke Percius, in service to the King I administer the Royal Academy. Your achievements spread ahead of you, and I most look forward to your time as a student. Blessed by one of the Winter Pantheon, an accomplished Alchemist with many revolutionary developments, and already capable of Red Magic, all at your young age. Indeed, I am most looking forward to seeing how you will flourish at the academy.” Ok, that’s a bit much. I could feel my cheeks reddening slightly. Glancing at Dominic and Count Francois, both of them had an inscrutable expression; clearly, I was expected to answer this for myself.
“I see, I as well, am greatly looking forward to my time at the Academy.” Percius nodded, that was the answer he had been expecting.
“Stahlia, as you know, the enrollment period for a young Lady is three years, following which you would return home to attend bridal training.” I nodded at that, although I had no intention of attending any such special training it was a fact that my time at the academy was limited by law. For reference, male students would spend five years at the academy. Dominic was two years older than me and entering his third year, so we would actually end up graduating at the same time. Percius continued.
“Our Lord the King has instructed me to allow you entrance into the Special Student Program” That comment got a reaction from Dominic, though it seemed Count Francois had already been aware.
“Lady Stahlia, a woman, a Special Student? Before even her first year?” Percius silenced Dominic with a wave of his hand.
“Indeed, it is almost unprecedented, but it would serve a great boon for your house would it not Dominic?” Dominic fell silent and nodded quickly while shooting his father a look. “You could have told me!” It seemed to say.
“Um, Duke Percius… Forgive me, but Ris Village is remote and my family only received peerage but recently. I am unaware, what is Special Student?” Percius nodded, probably he expected me not to know.
“Special Students are the top members of the enrolled student body; the position comes with several perks not available to the main student body, though it also comes with some obligations. As for those perks, well, me coming here personally would be one of them; As the headmaster of the Academy, it is one of my duties to directly oversee the Special Students in their studies and render assistance for their projects when they request it. Additionally, you will be permitted to forgo the usual classes, as long as you are able to test out of them. In place of the normal class schedule, you may take any class you wish to. For example; despite being a first year, you could enroll yourself in the third year magic courses as long as you pass the tests for the first and second year prerequisites.”
That sounds really useful, I can test out of all the math, writing, and sciences thanks to my past life and blame it on my home tutors. Stuff like Geography and history might be a bit harder; I only know Drakas Kingdom stuff, the temple and my tutors didn’t cover foreign regions. But there was also that part about obligations… “That sounds like an enticing offer Duke Percius… I hesitate to ask, but what are the obligations?”
Percius nodded to me again and explained, “All the Special Students are nominally enrolled into either the Knight or Mages order while they are students. They may be dispatched to deal with issues arising near the royal capital. In and of itself, it is not very demanding and while on dispatch you are of course excused from classes. However, you will be expected to help put down monsters and the like.”
Well, I can see how a normal noble girl might balk at that; that must be why Dominic was so surprised they would offer a woman a position like this. But for me, that would mean I can keep earning experience while stuck in the capital.
Making sure to portray myself as deep in thought, I asked a question in a hesitating voice, “Fighting… what kinds of monsters could I expect to run into if I should be dispatched...?”
I heard Dominic sigh from beside me; he understood I was perfectly fine with fighting from the incident two years ago. I caught his father shooting him a glare for letting his noble façade slip. Percius seemed deep in thought, then answered in a level tone, “Goblins, Wild Stawri, the Occasional Orc… I believe the most dangerous thing you would encounter in the region the Special Students are dispatched to would likely be a Murder-Rabbit.” A what? A rabbit is more dangerous than an Orc?
After making myself look thoughtful for another minute, I gave my answer, “Duke Percius, I would like to nominally accept the position. Assuming I can test out of the first and second-year courses, please have me enrolled in Fourth Year Red Magic, as well as Blue, Green, and Yellow magic at the lowest level. If I do well there, I would also like to study Black and White magic next year.” Magic is one thing, but they would probably balk if I asked to be trained with swords too. Besides, I have Jacqueline for that, “Other than those, please place me in any classes you believe I would do well to take.”
Duke Percius looked surprised for a moment, but quickly composed himself, “Well, I can understand the appeal and according to your tutor you did manage to pick up red magic quite quickly, so I am curious to see how you do in the other branches. I will make the arrangements for you.”
Of course, he would be surprised though; magic affinities were a thing. It wasn’t like not having an affinity meant you couldn’t learn a school. Anyone could learn to cast any type of magic, however, mana consumption would go down drastically if your affinity matched. I had originally thought that the talent had something to do with affinity, but as it turned out affinity was something deeper than that; all having a talent did was allow you to omit the chants, depending on how high its level was.
Still, the mainstream practice was to test your affinities, then study a school you matched with. At most people would learn one or two additional schools, not all six. However even if it made me stand out, this was something I was determined to do. Even with the limited number of Red spells I knew, I had already noticed some patterns in the wording and had theorized some of the underlying meaning. For instance, virtually every Red spell I learned began with the line [##, ####]. I was all but certain that meant "fire", but as for its purpose in the chant, I hadn't the faintest clue.
Frankly, it was curious that nobody seemed to be trying to translate the language used by spell chants; it was almost like there was something preventing it. My Red Mage home tutor had been completely baffled when I pointed out the patterns I was noticing, and seemingly wasn’t able to see them himself. If I was able to glean even a small amount of information it could prove a valuable trump card in my upcoming endeavors, to that end, I needed more and varied samples; hence my desire to enroll in all schools of magic.
After some more idle chatter, Duke Percius bid his farewells and departed leaving me with Dominic and Count Francois. Lucy had been minding a corner in case she was needed and so that I would not be alone with a group of men. After sitting in silence for a moment, Count Francois spoke up.
“Dominic, your fiancée is exceptional. To be able to wrap Duke Percius around her finger that easily. Treat her well so that she does not seek to leave our house.” Wait what does he mean by that?
Dominic was sitting with a somewhat grim look on his face. Did I do something wrong…?
“Count Francois… Did I perhaps overstep myself…?” Count Francois looked at me incredulously.
“You truly did not notice…? Duke Percius never intended to truly offer you the position of a Special Student; it was a formality. He was expecting you would reject it when he brought up the subjugation of monsters. If you had not based your enrollment on the prerequisite that you first passed the first and second-year classes, he was likely to find an excuse to retract the offer and refuse you.” Ah… right, a normal noble girl would have backed off when she heard she would be expected to fight monsters.
“Ah… I did not realize that… Living in Ris Village, I have encountered goblins from time to time so the idea of fighting monsters is not particularly foreign to me… I feel I must apologize for placing you in a difficult spot Count Francois.” I gave Count Francois a half-truth to explain why the idea of monsters didn’t scare me, otherwise, I was worried he would grow suspicious. He shook his head lightly, a smile returning to his face.
“I see, if that is your reasoning it cannot be helped. Still, it will hurt your reputation if you cannot pass those classes. Dominic, instruct your fiancée in what she will need to know to get a passing mark for foreign geography and history. You have one week so do hurry.” Scary… he already knows what my weak points are… just how close does he keep up with my father. And this means I must spend the next days with Dominic almost exclusively! Looking at him sidelong I saw him watching me carefully, with a familiar glint in his eye, the same glint he had gotten when he decided to fight Giogi and the other five boys back in Ris. Scary!
