Chương 25: Small Steps

Arien walked home afraid that if he didn't burn something soon, the pressure in his chest would find another way out. That was not how he had imagined his first day of learning. A young, dedicated teacher, a new friend, and enough knowledge to drown in should have felt like a dream. Instead, Arien had nearly revealed everything about his magic, the System, and perhaps even his previous life. Unshakable Mind had saved him; without it, he would have told Velyn everything.

It had not removed her pressure, but it had built a wall between that influence and his thoughts. He had even gained a level and advanced several Skills in the process. None of it made him feel any better. He looked at his new stats.

Endurance: 9 (8+1) Agility: 9 (8+1) Strength: 9 (8+1) Perception: - 21 (19+1+1) Intellect: 29 (27+1+1) Wisdom: 13 (12+1) Vitality: 21 (17+1+1+2) Free Points - 0 Skills 5/6: Mana Sense (uncommon): lvl 17 Mana Manipulation (rare): lvl 14 Lightning Aspect (rare): lvl 7 Fire Aspect (uncommon): lvl 4 Unshakable Mind (rare): lvl 5 (+3) Still not. Now he had only one free slot left before reaching level ten, and even then he didn't know whether becoming a Mage would require an entirely different configuration of skills.

Shouldn't things like this be forbidden? Influencing other people's minds without their consent? He had no answer, and turning the question over in his head only made him angrier. He spent the rest of the day in the meadow, venting that frustration on dead branches and tree stumps until he had burned through his mana again and again.

The extra Vitality made recovery noticeably faster, allowing him to squeeze in more practice than usual, and by the time both Aspects gained another level, his mood had finally begun to improve. When he returned home just in time for dinner, his entire family immediately questioned him about his day. Only after he had described the main hall for what felt like the tenth time did they finally leave him alone. Unfortunately, he couldn't fall asleep until late at night, thinking about how to deal with Velyn.

He woke sore and discouraged. For a moment, he considered staying home and pretending the previous day had never happened. Then he remembered the library he didn't have, the world he didn't know, and the questions nobody in the village could answer. Velyn might be dangerous, but so was going through life knowing almost nothing about the world around him. If he wanted to avoid dying for some stupid reason, he needed answers. He got up.

Before leaving for the estate, he devoured a few thick slices of bread with butter and a piece of cheese. His siblings watched the generous portion with open envy, but Mari cut off any complaints before they began. Arien needed strength if he was going to serve their lord, she declared, and the small wage he brought home benefited everyone. He only shrugged. When it came to food, he wasn't going to take prisoners.

He constantly felt as if he had a black hole instead of a stomach, and lately he had begun to worry that he simply wasn't getting enough to grow properly. Some children from the poorest families in the village were noticeably smaller than others their age, with thin limbs or legs that bent strangely beneath them. When he reached the estate, Will was already waiting in the yard. Judging by his flushed face and the sweat running down his neck, he had just finished training. The boy smiled and extended his hand.

"Welcome to our home. What's ours is yours."

"Thank you, Will. I see you've been training since morning?"

"Of course. Our lessons take up most of the day, so I only have the mornings and evenings." He suddenly glanced around and lowered his voice, as though he were about to share a great secret.

"To be honest, I hate waking up early. I know it's unworthy of a knight, but I could sleep forever, especially if there was running practice the day before."

"Oh, I understand perfectly. I'm the same way. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Arien leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Apparently, children our age are supposed to sleep in. It helps us grow faster, so we can count sleeping as part of our training, right?" Will's eyes widened, but before he could respond, Syl's voice called out from the open doorway. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"How long are you two going to stand there? Every minute of learning counts! Lady Velyn is already waiting!" Will gave Arien a knowing look and muttered, "Nerd," under his breath. Arien just laughed and headed inside.

"Today, we begin with letters," Velyn announced. Her brown dress was far more modest than the one she had worn the previous day. She looked less like a polished Academy graduate and more like a student who had spent two sleepless nights preparing for exams. More importantly, whatever pressure he had felt from Velyn the previous day was much weaker now. He could think clearly around her again.

"The first letter is written here," Velyn continued, holding up a sheet of parchment.

"You will copy it until I am satisfied with the result. There is no need to conserve the sheets. The quills in front of you are enchanted, so the ink will disappear after a few minutes. Try not to break them. I don't have any spares, and Ribenne may not have any either." Arien looked at the quills with immediate interest. They were engraved with delicate silver patterns, and his Mana Sense told him they were not ordinary items. What a practical use of magic. His mood improved at once.

"Good. Pay attention. This is the letter reah. You start from the upper left corner and draw it downward, then go back up. See? Then you make a loop, connect it to the bottom, and that's it. Simple, right? Questions? No? Then begin. And dip only the tip of the quill. I don't want ink everywhere." Writing in the new language proved harder than Arien expected. He had forgotten how much of writing came from practice rather than understanding. His mind knew what the letter should look like.

His hand apparently disagreed. The first scribbles on the parchment didn't even remotely resemble the example. He compared them twice, just in case wishful thinking had become one of his hidden talents. It had not. Well, nobody said it would be easy. After an hour and more failed attempts than he cared to count, he decided he was starting to improve. Velyn corrected him a few times, but most of her attention remained on Will, who probably didn't have a future as a scribe.

Arien might have felt pleased about doing better than him, if not for the fact that he had memories from another life and Syl had already been allowed to start the second letter half an hour earlier.

"That's enough writing for today. Will, you'll need to practice this evening. Now we'll start basic mathematics, and then we'll spend the rest of the morning on High Arinthian. What do you think? Great," Velyn said, without waiting for an answer. Will looked as though he might cry. Syl looked thrilled. Arien picked up numerical system quickly. After that, the hardest part was pretending addition and subtraction were new to him.

Fortunately, Will and Syl were doing well enough that he did not have to pretend complete ignorance. That left plenty of attention for the slice of bread with cream and honey they were given during the lesson. He didn't know whether it was the monotony of his usual food or some hidden cooking Skill, but he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten something so good. High Arinthian brought him back down to earth. Even introducing oneself was complicated.

The simple "My name is Arien" could be said in at least six different ways depending on one's position in the social hierarchy, the status of the person being addressed, and, interestingly, the System hierarchy. Here, Will shone. Velyn praised his natural ability to absorb new forms and place the correct emphasis on tones, which made Syl keep shooting him uneasy glances.

Girl's enthusiasm faded considerably when she learned that she not only had to start over, but also unlearn several bad habits her mother had apparently taught her. When Velyn finally declared the lesson over, even Syl looked relieved.

"Arien, would you like to run the course with me?" Will asked, rubbing his temples.

"I usually do a few laps before lunch. You'll see, it's much more fun than studying."

"Hmm. Why not?" he replied after a moment's thought. He wasn't particularly eager to run, but he did want to spend more time with Will. More importantly, there was still a chance the invitation might somehow include lunch. They headed outside, leaving Syl behind, still hunched over her parchment and practicing the third letter. Maybe she was planning a future as a scribe. The training course lay some distance from the estate buildings, and Arien groaned when he finally got a good look at it.

When he had agreed, he had imagined a simple stretch of flat ground for racing.

"We start with the tunnel, which we have to crawl through. It's a bit dark and cramped, but not too difficult. Then there's the wall. That one's harder. Don't worry, it's not completely smooth. See those darker spots? They're handholds and footholds. Kreft says that eventually I won't even need them. Cool, right?" Will barely paused for breath before continuing.

"After the wall, there's—" This looks like a Marine obstacle course, Arien thought as the boy enthusiastically showed him the remaining sections. Some of the obstacles made sense, like a narrow beam several yards long suspended about a meter above the ground, which Will called the Wobbler. Others seemed completely absurd. Arien could understand dodging three massive swinging pendulums, but apparently one exercise involved standing on a large plank nearby and taking every hit they delivered.

"So, what do you think?" Will asked, looking as proud as if he were showing off a treasured collection. Arien stared at the course.

"I think I should have asked what you meant by a few laps." Will grinned.

"You'll be fine." He was not fine. The tunnel proved easy enough. The wall did not. Will scrambled over it in seconds, while Arien spent nearly a minute searching for footholds before finally hauling himself over the top. The Wobbler threw him into the dirt twice, and by the time they reached the swinging pendulums, his arms were already trembling. Will waited whenever Arien fell too far behind, offering advice with the cheerful patience of someone who had forgotten how difficult the course had once been for him.

When Arien finally stumbled across the finish, muddy and breathing hard, Will was already asking whether he wanted to go again. Arien decided that knights were insane. By the time they returned to the house, Arien was sore all over, physically exhausted, and already beginning to collect bruises. The pain became considerably easier to forgive when a plate of fried potato pancakes covered generously with stew appeared in front of him. He remembered the first bite.

Then, somehow, he was eating the last pancake and staring longingly at the empty plate. Fortunately, he was alone at the table with Will, who kept looking between him and his barely touched meal in admiration. Well, the future knight might have been faster than Arien on the obstacle course, but when it came to eating, Arien was the champion. By the time he started home, however, the meal was about the only part of him that felt good.

His legs ached with every step, his arms felt heavy, and even the thought of more training was exhausting. Maybe he should skip magic today. He had already done enough, and one missed evening would hardly matter. He could always continue tomorrow. He pictured Syl bent over her parchment and Will changing back into his training clothes. There were moving forward. One step at a time. Arien sighed and headed toward the meadow.