Chương 505: B8—Chapter 12: Loose Ends and Open Roads

Summer was winding down, and even though we were in the south, the rain had started coming more often. I really wanted to leave before winter set in properly. Yes, the capital was big and probably full of interesting sights we never got to see because we were always busy, but that didn't change how ready I was to move on. We still had a long way to go to the next Gate, and low mana was low mana. Peaceful and nice for a while, sure, but only in small doses.

By then, all my students had the Healer class, except Pulia. She was her own block. I was sure of it. She could channel mana just fine, regenerate it without trouble, and she'd even healed a handful of cuts and scrapes on her own. Still, no class. I suspected it had something to do with how bad she felt about the previous incident, some internal knot she hadn't worked through yet. Since I knew absolutely nothing about teenage psychology, I didn't stick my nose into it and let her figure it out on her own.

Worst case, she'd have to progress the class the traditional way, under her own power, without my spells smoothing the road for her. At least I finally got a level in my new class. Level Up +3 Intelligence, +3 Wisdom, +2 Vitality, +3 Free Points Class: Life Weaver Level 26 Free Points: 3 By that point, the whole mansion was fixed, except for the front, which I left rough to keep up appearances, and I spent the morning working on light plates.

It was the only thing I had left to do, and even then, I didn't have so much as a tail-end chance of making enough for the whole place. The mansion was just too damn big. I did try to teach every one of my students how to make those plates, with exactly zero success. They ran into trouble almost immediately with the runes, mostly because of headaches that hit fast and hard, and the magic script was even worse.

They just couldn't get it, no matter how much time they put in or how carefully they tried to follow my examples. That left me more confused than ever. Enchanters clearly had a way to pass on their class, so how come I couldn't teach rune and script work at all? Yes, I wasn't an Enchanter yet, but that felt beside the point. The system obviously allowed some form of knowledge transfer, and this was close enough that it should've worked.

It bugged me even more because after the fourth student got the Healer class, my Battle Sage skill finally picked up the [Novice] tag. When I saw it for the first time, I just stared at it, blinking for a good ten seconds, because the name and the jump in level didn't compute. Only after I reread the skill description did it finally make sense. Battle Sage You can now train others in magic and combat, enhancing their learning speed and efficiency.

Thankfully, the issue with teaching rune work didn't extend to general item creation, so I taught all my students how to make my purifying blobs. Mahya found a blacksmith willing to forge iron balls and work with my apprentices, and I taught them how to cast the required spells into the molten metal as it was being shaped. I couldn't teach them how to create the protective mesh that sealed the spell and prevented it from dissipating over time, but that wasn't really a problem.

I had already made enough aluminum blobs to purify all the wells in the orphanage, and if more were ever needed, they could always make another batch later. At the moment, all of my apprentices had Clean as one of their three starting spells, alongside Minor Heal and Assess, so they could already make a simpler version of the item. Purify would come later as they advanced, and once it did, they'd be able to create the blobs themselves from start to finish.

And, double thankfully, the city's sewage system turned out to be old but remarkably well built. That was one major problem I didn't have to solve. The day I discovered that, I think I thanked the Spirits every half hour for the rest of the day. All of Al's students ended up getting the Alchemist class, and the orphanage was sitting on a healthy stockpile of salves and potions. With his work done, he announced he was going sightseeing.

It quickly became clear that his idea of sightseeing had very little to do with architecture, historical districts, or anything you would normally find in a guidebook. He came back the next day looking noticeably more relaxed than usual, and even smiling. From that point on, he disappeared every evening like clockwork and returned in the morning, always calm and faintly amused with the world. Mahya and I exchanged a look and shared a quiet smile, but didn't comment. There was no need. Al was Al, and that was that.

Mahya made shutters for the whole place, and she had the gall to stick her tongue out at me over not managing the plates. I gestured around the mansion, spreading my hands.

"I fixed this place from a half-ruined state." She waved me off.

"Excuses, excuses." I stared at her for a second, then snorted. There really was no winning with this one. I studied her as she moved around the room, noting the extra spring in her step.

"You've been in a better mood for the last few days." She smiled to herself.

"Yes. I think I have a solution for the contract."

"Which is?" She hummed under her breath, tapping a finger against her chin, then shook her head.

"Not yet. I don't want to jinx it, and it might not work anyway." During the summer, merchant caravans occasionally dropped off kids at the orphanage. Since we'd arrived, more than forty new kids had shown up in total. Remembering how crowded the place had been before I fixed the buildings, my anger at the king grew by the day.

More than once, my hands itched to pay the palace a visit while invisible, use Al's sleeping potion, and express my dissatisfaction through the royal treasury and a few other carefully chosen locations. The only reason I didn't go through with it was Mahya's optimism. Even so, I kept the option firmly on the table, just in case her plan, whatever it turned out to be, didn't work. With the buildings fixed and the crazy number of new bunk beds we'd paid for, at least the crowding was much better.

The third levels of all the bunk beds were now empty, and they had moved a big number of beds out of the extra crowded rooms into the newly fixed ones. Since everyone knew we'd come there at Rue's request, he was more than a national hero. They couldn't pet, hug, or kiss him enough, and they never stopped thanking him. It got so ridiculous that sometimes he had to hide in our tower just to get away from the overwhelming gratitude. And it got even worse after he protected a kid from being taken by force.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. During all our time at the orphanage, quite a few people came looking for workers. Some actually offered contracts that were tolerable, in my opinion, and good by Titi's standards. They promised the child a place to live, regular meals, training in a trade, and modest pay. A number of the older kids accepted those offers and willingly signed the contracts.

Others, especially the recruiters from the docks, were a completely different story. Their contracts were little more than legalized exploitation. They wanted children for backbreaking labor aboard their boats in exchange for food. They didn't even offer a place to live because, according to them, "their place is on the boat." Every time one of those recruiters showed up, they came as a group of rough-looking men with bad attitudes, expecting to intimidate everyone into compliance by throwing their weight around.

Sadly for them, Mahya and Rue were usually nearby. Between Mahya's complete lack of patience for bullies and Rue's absolute certainty that protecting "his pups" was one of his sacred duties, the recruiters never got very far. Without fail, they ended up retreating with their tails between their legs. One particularly pushy recruiter ignored every warning he was given and tried to drag a terrified boy away anyway. He left the orphanage missing his left pinkie finger and covered in scratches.

Rue, meanwhile, spent the rest of the day strutting around with his nose pointed proudly at the sky, announcing to anyone who happened to be nearby that he was"the bestest protector." I was ready to give up on Mahya's idea and move on, leaving the place with some gold for food and hoping that the new Healers and Alchemists would bring in enough money for the orphanage to function properly. But Mahya kept asking me to wait.

Since Al was still disappearing at night and didn't show any signs of impatience, I agreed and kept making light plates, hoping I could at least produce enough to cover the halls and shared spaces. One day, in early autumn, Rue contacted me through our link and called me to the front courtyard with Al. When we got there, I could sense Mahya somewhere near the mansion, but I couldn't see her yet. Rue barked once, and she finally appeared. Strutted was the only word for it.

She marched in like a visiting monarch, head held high, shoulders thrown back, chin tilted up, and an arrogant expression. Her hands were half raised and slightly out to the sides, fingers loose, like she was blessing an invisible crowd as she passed. The whole thing was so exaggerated that I burst out laughing. She shot me a pure evil look. Somehow, that only made it worse. With all that pomp and her expression locked in place, the scene tipped from ridiculous into absurd, and even Al cracked.

Considering his usual stoicism, it was impressive she managed that.

"Let me guess," I called, folding my arms as I watched her.

"You made him sign?" She turned her head just enough to look at me and blew me a raspberry. I blinked.

"Hey, what was that for?" She dropped the act with a huff, hands planting on her hips.

"You ruined all the fun of the reveal." Shaking my head at her absurdity, we walked back to the tower. On the way, Al could no longer restrain his curiosity. He clasped his hands behind his back and turned his head toward her.

"May I ask how you managed to persuade him to sign?" Mahya gave a casual shrug with a self-satisfied smile.

"I told you alcohol would work." Al inclined his head.

"Indeed. However, how did you secure a meeting with him and obtain his signature?"

"Because I'm the best boat racer in this world," she said, completely straight-faced. Both of us stared at her, equally lost. She went on, casual as anything.

"I did some sleuthing, found out what he likes most about girls, and adjusted my glamour." I unfocused my eyes to look past the illusion and snickered. Her chest was absurd. She looked like a walking stick with two hot air balloons strapped to the front. She flicked my arm.

"Don't laugh. It was necessary."

"How are you even staying upright without falling on your face?" I asked. She gave me a flat, unimpressed look.

"You do realize the glamour is only visual, not real."

"I know," I said.

"But still. Even an illusion like that should mess with your balance." She shook her head and turned away.

"You're an idiot." Al raised an eyebrow, his expression carefully neutral.

"How, precisely, is the size of your illusory chest connected to boat racing?"

"Oh, that part was easy. Remember how Titi told us he likes to bet on river races?" We both nodded.

"I signed up for every race I could get my name into. The king didn't show up to all of them, obviously, but he did attend two. I won the first one, but he left early. No opportunity there." Her mouth twisted into a grin.

"The second race, though, he stayed. He even handed me the prize himself." She gave a mocking bow.

"And that's when I turned on the act. I made goo-goo eyes at him. Or I tried to. His were glued right here." She tapped her chest pointedly.

"I honestly don't think he noticed my face at all. Anyway … I played the part," she went on, dropping her voice into an exaggerated, breathy tone.

"'Your Majesty, you're so handsome,' 'You're so brave and refined,' and every other piece of drivel I could think of. I kept it up until he invited me to dinner. At dinner, I slipped the alcohol-enhancing potion into the wine until he was completely sloshed. Then I talked. And talked. And talked some more." She burst out laughing.

"Eventually, he offered to sign the damn contract just to shut me up and get me into bed." She wiped at the corner of her eye, still grinning.

"Two minutes after he signed and smeared some blood on it, he fell asleep with his head in the roast." We burst out laughing. Once the laughter finally died down, I asked, "What did you do with the contract?"

"Left it in the middle of his bed, with a flower on top," she said, utterly unapologetic. Then she lifted a finger.

"Oh, and I added a little clause in case he gets pissed about signing it. He can't harm anyone connected to the orphanage, caretakers or kids. I figured it was a good idea."

"Great idea," I said. Al inclined his head and hummed in agreement. Mahya winked.

"Of course. I'm a genius." Once we reached the tower and headed upstairs, Mahya clapped her hands once.

"So… are we ready to leave?"

"I need a day for goodbyes," I said after a brief pause, "but other than that, I'm ready."

"I shall require a day as well," Al added. Mahya made a face.

"Rue will probably want a few days to say goodbye to each kid individually." I nodded.

"Probably." She let out a long sigh.

"Of course he will." Well, we were right. I said my goodbyes to my students, Titi, and a few other caretakers I'd gotten to know over the summer. Al disappeared for his own farewells, in and out of the place, and Mahya went off to talk with her shutter production line. Rue informed us that he would, in fact, need a few days. While we waited for him to finish making his rounds, I cooked a fancy dinner for the extended group, including Al's students and everyone from the production line.

We spent the evening together, eating well, talking late into the night, exchanging well wishes for the future, and receiving more than a few teary thank-yous. And, as usual, Titi had the waterworks running at full capacity, though she was far from the only one with misty eyes. During dinner, we gave Titi a copy of the contract the king signed. This copy didn't include his signature or blood, but she still needed it to know what he had agreed to. To say she was speechless was the understatement of the year.

Over the next two days, I fixed up the front of the mansion, since it no longer had to hide its improved state. Fresh stonework replaced the ruined façade, and the place finally looked like the grand mansion it had once been. Three days after Mahya's little adventure, a group of people arrived from the palace. They came in looking thoroughly pissed, even if their manners stayed painfully polite and friendly. At least, that was how they started.

With every passing moment, as they took in the restored halls, the solid walls, and the sheer scale of the place, their expressions shifted. The anger faded into shock, eyes going wider the farther they looked around. I was very glad we'd made the king sign that contract. The way they stared, I could practically see the covetous intentions forming behind their eyes.

We blended into the background, acting like just another part of the caretaking staff, but we followed them around all the same, making sure they wouldn't do anything stupid. Mahya had tricked the king into signing, not them, and I wasn't about to trust palace officials farther than I could throw them. In the end, though, everything went smoothly. They toured the entire place with Titi, asked a lot of questions, and made extensive lists of everything and everyone the orphanage needed.

That evening, once they finally left, we opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate. It felt appropriate. Rue finally finished making his rounds. We said our last goodbyes to the people closest to us and headed to the docks. It was time to continue on our way to the Gate.