Chapter 6
–A Light Afternoon Tea–
Once back in the hallway, we retrieved our cleaning supplies and made our way back to the main storage room.
“Your mom’s workshop door was closed when we passed by. I wonder if she is still in there working?” I prodded Alisha, trying to cling to some hope that I wouldn’t be in trouble with my new foster mother on the first day.
“Hard to say. She might just have a project with parts laid out and doesn’t want us messing with anything,” Alisha pointed out.
“I wish there was a way to tell what time it is down here,” I complained, worried. So much had already happened while we were down here that my sense of time was feeling off.
“It’s not that there isn’t. I just forgot to bring my pocketwatch with me. Raithe, you should buy yourself a magic timepiece as soon as you can. It’s too easy to miss lunch or dinner if you go out to play or train and you don’t have one. A magic bag to hold your stuff is also important,” Alisha advised.
While we talked, we had passed back through the main storage room with the composter and crossed over into the other hallway.
“Sounds like a good idea. So what kind of crazy rooms can I expect this time?” I asked. Surely after the kind of adventure this basement tour had become, the most ridiculous rooms had been saved for last. But my expectations were not to be met.
“Sorry to disappoint, but this side only has rather ordinary storage rooms,” Alisha declared matter-of-factly.
Well at the least, because our definitions of ordinary probably differed by a fair magnitude, I still prepared myself for the worst.
"By the way Raithe. I've been thinking about your mana sucking tendency when you get low on mana, and I think it may be related to your Shadow-affinity. It might get worse as your arcane power increases, so you should seek out someone to train you in in Shadow-magic before it gets out of hand, discreetly, of course,” Alisha recommended.
"Ah, okay, I'll look into that,” I gratefully accepted her advice with a nod. Learning Shadow-magic was definitely high on my list of things I wanted to accomplish in the near future, particularly when considering my mana-affinities.
We had come to a pair of what would be normal looking, but solid, wood doors with normal door latches, if it weren’t for the color of the wood—one blue one and one light-blue one. Neither had metal air vents above them.
The end of the hallway was also in view, and I could see a third door just like the two colored-ones near us, but surprisingly it was a rather mundane, normal brown wood color.
"Ugh. I know we recharged a fair amount of mana earlier, but just looking at these doors makes me feel tired." Alisha said and slumped her shoulders.
"Our stamina is almost used up. We should probably eat something soon,” I commented.
"Except I'm pretty sure we missed lunch. Maybe if we finish up quickly, mom will still make us something as a reward for finishing… next time we should bring some snacks and something to drink,” Alisha suggested.
"Definitely." I wholeheartedly approved.
"Alright Raithe, here we go! The final spurt for the basement chores!" Alisha pumped herself up as she opened the light-blue door. Immediately, the chill air from inside greeted my bare arms and feet.
"Here, hold the door while I get the door-stop. The frozen storage and chilled storage rooms don't have air vents, so it's important to prop the door open while we're inside."
While I held the door, she reached down and picked up a light-blue-dyed triangular block of wood and wedged it under the door. The doorstop was so mundane that it seemed out of place in this house of magical everything.
The interior of the frozen storage room was packed full of sparsely stocked shelving racks that stuck out from the walls in orderly rows, storing a variety of items from animal and monster parts to jars of frozen liquids and bundles of herbs.
As we passed through the rows of shelving to approach the back, the room continued to get colder and our breath started to mist in front of us. The rows of shelving opened up to meat hooks suspended from chains, some with frozen animal carcasses hung from them. In the far corner, near some crates and wall shelving was a glowing light-blue crystal mounted on a long iron pole-stand.
"There's the cold-storage crystal, go ahead and recharge it. I'll get the next one." Alisha ushered me on while blowing on her hands to keep them warm.
"You know in some ways this room is scarier than the dungeon," I said as I avoided bumping into what looked like a gutted deer.
The air was numbingly cold as I drew near the light-blue crystal and filled it with mana. The crystal’s capacity was comparable to the similar one in the alchemy lab’s storage cabinet. I still had enough mana left, but I was totally exhausted as I returned to Alisha and we closed the room back up.
The chilled storage room was similar sized to the frozen storage room, but had the crystal centrally located and had a more consistent temperature throughout the room that was only moderately chill.
Like the frozen room, there were some meat hooks hanging from the ceiling near the crystal and some shelving to one side, but the chilled room mainly had various drying racks and barrels. Strong smelling cheeses lined a few of the shelves.
Other than the temperature difference, the main thing that differed between the two rooms was the odd smells that lingered inside the chilled room and were hard to describe. Though ‘appetizing’ certainly wouldn’t be my word of choice.
"We use this room to make fermented products like pickles, salted fish and ham, and cheeses. So, there's some gross-looking stuff in those barrels. We also have a smoker for drying the meats, in case you’re interested. It's outside behind my dad's workshop," Alisha said as she went over to the crystal and filled it with mana.
Somehow, I drew the short straw again, as there was no way the chilled storage room’s crystal used anywhere near as much mana as the other one.
Alisha also looked exhausted as we left the room. With our feet dragging slightly from fatigue, we shuffled our way toward the final storage room.
"Oh yeah, speaking of barrels, I forgot to mention that part of our chores is dumping the unused mana-infused water into one of the lidded barrels back in the room with the composter. Jake usually takes care of it when he brings fresh water from the stream. The old water is used by my mom in her alchemy and artificing, but we also use it for watering the garden. You'll want to remember that when you're on garden duty." Alisha was so exhausted she was almost mumbling her words, but my hearing was good enough that I could make out what she said just fine.
"This is the last room?" I asked.
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
-- Ads -- (Chapter continues below)
"Yep. There's nothing we need to do in this one other than the occasional dusting or cleaning," she said holding up her basket of dusting tools.
"You know, we haven't used these once yet," I pointed out while holding up the bucket of scrub tools that she had given me.
"Haha, well, doesn't it look more like we're diligently working if we carry these around?" she said, proudly.
Ah, my head hurts. This girl definitely is no good.
"Anyways. I'll quickly show you the dry-storage room, and then let’s report to my mom that we're finished," she said as she opened the door and we went inside.
The shelving in this room was mainly along the walls, but there were barrels and crates stacked in the center. In addition to normal dry goods, many of the shelves contained monster parts. The smaller parts were in labelled glass jars and crates. The larger parts such as horns, bones, small pelts and the like sat loose on the shelves. Large pelts hung on the wall. Also hung around the room were bunches of various dried herbs and plants.
If I wasn't so exhausted, it would be interesting to wander the room and look at the different things stored here.
Just then I heard Alisha's stomach growl. I was rather hungry myself as well.
"Good enough?" she asked.
"Yep. Let's head back." I nodded.
We closed the door behind us, put our cleaning supplies away, and went to stand in front of the door to Reina's workshop.
"She's your mom. You do the knocking. Besides we don't even know if she's in there," I prompted when Alisha seemed hesitant.
Alisha screwed up her face, then rapped the door with the knocker three times. Afterward she stepped back and prepared herself.
A short while later, the door opened to reveal Alisha's mom, dressed as immaculately as she was this morning, but without the kitchen apron. She had a pleasant expression and exuded serenity.
"Well, well, if it isn't Alisha and Raithe. Are you two finished your chores and the basement tour? You know it's already past one o'clock in the afternoon. So, you've definitely missed out on lunch. After you went and spent all that money on it, did you forget your pocketwatch, Alisha? You know, a proper lady should be punctual and keep her appointments,” Reina said pleasantly, and I was getting really worried.
"Urk," such a sound came from Alisha.
"We've finished our chores. Alisha showed me around the basement to teach me all of the different responsibilities, and we filled up all the crystals. I'm sorry we took so long,” I spoke up and offered a sincere apology, hoping to mitigate the punishment that I instinctively felt was coming.
You're gonna owe me big time for this one, Alisha!
"I see. That's really impressive work, but you two look completely worn out. I clearly said not to overdo it. That Raithe had been seriously injured yesterday, didn't I?" Reina reminded us.
Alisha wouldn't meet her mom's eyes as she was lightly scolded.
Heh, heh, serves you right!
"By the way, I did go and check on you two when you were late for lunch, but you seemed to be having fun and were getting along well, so I let it be. I figured you would come to me when you were finished," Reina said with a slight smile.
I didn't notice her check on us at all! And Alisha totally called it! That she'd just say we were ‘getting along well’. Ugh, I'm doomed.
"Uhm, Miss Reina, what about the plans to take me around the village?" I asked, downcast. It definitely wasn't good that I ended up blowing-off her hospitality to play battle-mages in the practice room.
"Well, we will certainly be getting a late start, and with you so worn out, it might be hard to get everything done today. But it should be fine to do some things tomorrow if we run out of time." Reina made a show of taking out her pocket watch and checking the time before continuing, "Hmm… it does seem like it's about time for afternoon tea and snacks. Would either of you like to join me?"
"Yahoo!" Alisha was clearly relieved that she would still get something to eat. Even if due to her fatigue her cheer was less boisterous than usual, the sincerity wasn't.
"Yes. Please, Miss Reina," I thankfully agreed.
"But afterward, Alisha, you will be spending the afternoon doing meditation in your room to replenish your mana, or you will be useless tomorrow."
"Double Urk," said Alisha sullenly.
"And the same goes for you Raithe, when we get back this evening, you should practice your meditation exercises as well. If you never fill your mana pool up, it's not going to grow."
And there came the punishment. But if I had to say, rather than being mad at us, I think she's applying consequences to rectify the effects of our mistakes. It's an interesting disciplinary approach.
Reina came out of the room and let the door close behind her.
"Hmm. Before we head upstairs, I'd better give you each one of these," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out two small yellow paper-wrapped items which she handed to us.
When we both looked at her quizzically, and Reina urged, "Hurry up now, unwrap them and put them in your mouths. If you don't, you're likely to collapse before you even make it up the ladder."
Inside the fancy-looking yellow wrapping was a hard candy smelling faintly of herbs and honey. I placed it my mouth as directed, and I looked up to see that Alisha had done the same. The taste was a combination of bitter and sweet, and slightly medicine-y, but it wasn't unpleasant. As soon as the candy started to dissolve in my mouth, I felt my fatigue begin to ease.
"So, what are your impressions? Flavor, effectiveness?" Reina asked as she took out her pocket notebook and readied her pen.
She just used us for product testing! What is wrong with the people in this house?!
Alisha went first. "The taste is kinda bitter, but it isn't enough to make me want to spit it out. I don't feel as tired as before," she said as she bounced a bit on her heals and swung her arms around experimentally.
Reina turned to me and I gave my impressions. "I think the taste is fairly good. It has a good mix of bitter and sweet—and it's not too sweet—but it is slightly medicine-tasting. As soon as the candy began dissolving in my mouth, I felt my fatigue start to go away." I checked my status screen. "With about half of it dissolved, I have recovered about 20 stamina points, so I think it is very effective."
"Thank you Raithe. That was quite excellent," Reina said as she finished taking notes and returned her pen and notepad to the pocket inside her vest.
"Mom, mom! Can I have one for mana recovery? If I suck on one of those then I won't be stuck in my room doing meditation practice all afternoon!" Alisha was bouncing up and down with excitement.
Wow, they really are effective. But Alisha, that's going to end badly.
Twack! "Owwww!"
Alisha was doubled over, and rocking side-to-side, while holding her forehead after getting another forehead flick from her mom.
Yeah, like I thought. There was no way that was going to work.
"These medicines are expensive and not candy, Alisha. If you want to avoid punishment, then you should plan ahead and be better prepared. Now let's get going. The hour is not getting any earlier,” Reina said while leading us to the ladder.
Translation: Go buy one yourself. Interesting. I wonder if she's discreetly telling me that it's fine for me to do my own thing as long as my responsibilities get taken care of properly, and I properly clean up my own messes. Figuratively speaking.
When we got to the ladder, Reina gave Alisha some instructions, "Alisha, get a crate and get me some eggs, flour, sugar, butter, fresh milk, and some carrots from storage."
"Yippie! Cookies and cakes!" Alisha cheered as she bounded off.
"Maybe those medicines are too effective, Miss Reina…," I said watching in amazement.
Reina chuckled and shooed me up the ladder with an, "Up you go," before following behind.
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
-- Ads -- (Chapter continues below)
Once back upstairs in the laundry room, Reina pointed out the rope and pulley attached to a beam above that was secured neatly and out of the way to the side.
"For heavy things, you will want to use the rope pulley to bring them up from the basement, but I think Alisha is excited enough that she is probably going to use a crate with shoulder straps to bring everything up by herself, so don’t worry about it,” Reina said with a wink.
"Okay. I'll remember it,” I replied.
Reina guided me toward the kitchen where she promptly put on her apron and started preparing a pan and a mixing bowl.
"By the way, Raithe, I'm sure you noticed that Alisha is a bit prone to excesses, and since you two seem to be getting along nicely, I'm going to be counting on you to do your best to reign in her bad impulses from time to time when I'm not around,” Reina said to me as she selected glass jars of ground spices and placed them on the smooth wood counter top.
"Yes, I understand, I'll do my best, Miss Reina." I answered politely, but inside… inside, I knew I was doomed.
Nooooooo! It's impossible! What kind of insane responsibility are you putting on me?! Didn't I already totally fail at doing just that today?! Ah, but the results turned out okay, I guess. Maybe Reina mainly cares about the results, but… seriously! I'm gonna die (from stress), you know!
While I was having my internal panic attack, Reina filled a tea kettle with mana-infused water on the fire-crystal-embedded iron cooking surface.
"Want to heat the kettle for me, Raithe?" Reina asked me.
"Uh, sure,” I answered and applied some mana to the fire-crystal. This one was different from the water-crystals where the mana determined duration. The more mana I put in, the hotter it got. So, I carefully applied the amount I thought would safely bring the kettle to a boil. Once the kettle started to whistle, Reina took it off the cook surface and set it to the side.
"I see. Your mana-control has improved an amazing amount for just a single day, Raithe. Your progress is outstanding. And you even learned the Earth meditation technique from Alisha today, didn't you?"
I nodded.
She must've seen us while we were in the practice room. We did leave our cleaning tools outside, so it was kinda obvious we were messing around in there. Hopefully she only popped in during the Earth meditation training, because the rest was fraught with disasters and, frankly, embarrassing.
While I was thinking about such things, she continued to prepare the tea. A beautiful porcelain tea pot for serving was taken from out of a glass-paned display cabinet, and a pinch of fragrant herbs from a clay jar on the counter was deposited inside the serving pot. The leaves prepared, she filled the serving pot with the just-boiled mana-infused water, and soon a calming fragrance began to be carried on the steam escaping from the pour-spout.
"I wonder if you would like to study with our local blacksmith to learn basic Fire-magic and martial arts as well? He is quite the expert. Though Alisha would probably be happy to instruct you if you preferred. In my opinion, usually the best results come learning from a master, but the most important thing is properly instilling the basics," Reina recommended thoughtfully.
Whaa-?! What kind of choice are you making me choose?! To either learn martial arts from 'Earth-fist girl' or the psycho that trained her? Is there an option for 'none of the above'?
Hopefully my despair didn’t show on my face before I was saved by the clunk and sliding sound of Alisha shrugging off a crate onto the floor and moving it out of the way so she could climb up.
"Ah, you were able to get everything by yourself, Alisha? Would you be kind enough to put out the porcelain tea set while I prepare the snacks. Raithe, you can help her if you like. So, Alisha, I was just mentioning that Raithe might want to do martial-arts and magic training at the Dragonhammer forge, what do you think?" Reina asked as she retrieved the crate of cooking supplies from Alisha and went about unpacking it onto the counter.
"Oh, he's got the talent for it. I think that would be a grand idea," Alisha told her mother with a smile.
"Hmm… that’s surprising, I had thought you would have wanted to train him yourself. Well, guess I should talk to Gerrick once things settle down," Reina mused.
"Heh, heh, heh. Best of luck to you, Raithe," Alisha said with her smile turning cruel as she patted me on the back and made her way over to the cabinet where the tea set was stored.
Ugh. She's definitely the type of person that takes pleasure in making others share her pain.
I quietly helped Alisha set the table. Before placing the tea set, Alisha pulled out a white tablecloth and a crocheted overlay, carefully draping them over the table. Plum-colored crocheted doilies were placed where each of us would be sitting and the porcelain plates and tea cups went on top of the doilies. To the side, spoons and forks made of real silver were arranged on top of folded plum-colored cloth napkins.
Everything was made of the finest quality and materials. Even the porcelain tea set had a delicate vine and fruit motif that was subtle and didn't detract from the delicacy of the individual pieces. Surely, such a table setting was something that belonged in a palace, and not in some backwater village in the middle of nowhere. This was not the first time I had thought something like that in this house.
As we finished the place setting, Reina brought the serving pot over and filled Alisha's and my cups before placing the pot on a doily in the center of the table. She prompted us to go ahead and drink while she finished up the cooking.
The soothing scent was really inviting and after seating myself, I took a polite sip of the herbal tea.
Aah, so pleasant.
A delicate flavor that calmed as it replenished my mana gently seeped into my mouth and washed away my tension. I closed my eyes and thoroughly enjoyed the taste. When I opened my eyes, Alisha was staring at me with her mouth open, her tea cup dangling forgotten at a precarious angle, and one corner of her mouth was slightly twitching.
Crap. I did it again. There's no way the poor peasant story is going to fly this time.
I was rescued by the arrival of the snacks.
"Close your mouth, Alisha. And mind your tea cup, you're going to spill on the good tablecloth," Reina chastised her as she placed two porcelain serving plates on the table.
The first plate displayed shortbread cookies with julienned carrots on top and the second plate featured little hand-sized light brown cakes with a thin coat of white icing. The cakes smelled pleasantly of spices and carrots.
Alisha looked down at her tea cup and hastily brought it to her mouth to hide her expression.
Well, I am [Naturally Charismatic] after all. Maybe I should just turn it up to eleven and have some fun. Besides, acting like a bore here isn't going to be convincing at all, and it would be terrible to waste the wonderful atmosphere created by this exquisite place setting, fragrant tea, and dainty cakes.
Let's see… first off, it's only natural to compliment the host and ask permission before sampling the snacks, so I will start with that.
I gently returned my tea cup to its saucer, and politely placed my hands on my lap.
Oh, this is gonna be fun.
I straightened my posture and began the charm offensive.
"My, Miss Reina, these cookies and tea cakes look lovely, and the setting is exquisite—fit for a palace even. It seems a shame to disturb the decorative arrangement of the food, but I feel drawn by the pleasant smell and enticing presentation to request permission to sample these delectable-looking tea snacks," I said, carefully intoning each word while maintaining an expression of utmost sincerity.
I even used a bit of mana on my vocal cords and voice, to give an extra depth and smoothness. My presentation really was something if I didn't say so myself.
Alisha choked on her tea and covered her mouth with her hand as she coughed.
"Yes, of course, Raithe, help yourself,” Reina said with a smile and made a polite motion of offering with her hand. Her eyes were laughing as she played along.
"Are you okay, my dear sister? Was the tea not to your liking?" I asked with a concerned voice, and turning back toward Reina, I continued, "It's hard to believe that anyone would dislike such a sublime and delicate flavor. To be honest, I am enthralled by it."
"Hahaha. You have potential, Raithe. Your flattery is top-notch. I wonder if we should arrange for you to attend Madam Plumbutton's etiquette sessions and tea parties," Reina said with a delighted laugh. She seemed to be greatly enjoying the show I was putting on.
I leaned forward and used my hand to make a delicate motion, bringing the scent of the tea up toward my nose.
Aah, it does smell so good.
I half-closed my eyes and breathed the intoxicating aroma in.
Oops. I overdid it.
Alisha's eyes were getting progressively wider as I continued my act, and finally her cup slipped from her fingers.
Ah what to do. It would be a shame if the tea spilled, besides, we're all family here, and it's such a small magic, tiny really. And if I cast it under my breath no one will even notice.
{Float}
{Breeze}
I caught the cup with my magic and used gentle currents of air to land it safely back on its saucer with only the faintest of clicks.
"Ah, my dearest sister, you should be more careful. If you allow your tea to spill, not only will you waste such wonderful tea, this fabulous mood will be ruined," I chided her lightly.
Haha, poor girl looks like she's going to fall out of her chair. But that's to be expected when I exert this much charm. It can't be helped.
Now onto the sweets. Grabbing from the plate is probably rude so… oh, I know! I'll use the same method as before.
{Float}
{Breeze}
The serving plates hovered toward me, and I carefully took a single cookie and a single cake before sending them back to their places.
"Well done, Raithe! Such a delicate use of mana!" Reina was happily laughing as she applauded me with a polite clapping of her hands.
I took up my fork and began enjoying the sweets, careful to cut small portions out with the fork before bringing it to my mouth.
"Uhm, mom… is there something in the tea?" Alisha whispered.
"No, it's the usual calming tea."
"Then are you sure Raithe isn't a prince from a fallen faerie country or something…?"
"…ah faerie! I just remembered something…"
I winked at Alisha, who was so overwhelmed by my charm that she was now calling me a prince. A prince even! Hahaha!
"Hurry and tell me, I don't think I can take much more," Alisha whispered desperately to her mom.
"Faeriebloom. It's an herb in the tea."
These sweets are good, but they can't compare to the tea!
I sipped some more of the tea—superb!
"No way… this could be bad." Alisha seemed worried about something, but it would be rude to intrude on a mother and daughter having a private conversation.
Ah, my tea is gone. Oh well, guess I'll just pour some more.
"Thank you, Miss Reina for this wonderful tea. I cannot help but desire another cup. But don't trouble yourself to get up, I will call the tea pot over, and it can serve me."
"Alisha, hurry. Gray vial, my desk, top right drawer," Reina whispered to Alisha.
Seems she forgot something. Oh well, Alisha's a good girl. She'll be back with it shortly.
{Float}
{Breeze}
{Enchant}
{Animate}
"Good afternoon Miss Teapot, would you kindly pour me some of that wonderous tea you have inside you," I asked politely of the kind Miss Teapot, and she obliged me by floating over and refilled my cup by tipping over just so. I thanked her and told her to return.
"You'd better hurry, Alisha…," breathed Reina.
A taste so exquisite that it draws flowers in the air.
Flowers. That's right, my Nature spirit friends. I should invite them over.
{Come my Nature spirit friends. Enjoy this splendid tea with us!}
Not just the ones from before, but several more as well, came and began dancing in the scent of the tea. I started humming to myself, and they danced to my song.
"Nature spirits…?" Reina sounded surprised.
"Ah it's not fair if only you little ones enjoy this, I should call the Earth spirit friend from before as well!"
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, slide!
"Oh no you don't! Earth-kick to the head!" Ah it sounds like Alisha is mad at someone, I wonder wh-WHAM!
Darkness.
Acrid. It burns. It burns my nose. I must push it away.
"Raithe! Can you hear me?"
"I think he's waking up."
I tried to open my eyes, but my head was still cloudy.
It's difficult to focus. …focus?
My mouth tasted metallic.
"I feel…," I mumbled. I was about to say that I feel terrible. But I didn't really. Nothing particularly hurt, and the fog was receding.
"How do you feel, Raithe?"
"Fine, I guess?... My head is a little foggy, but nothing hurts or anything."
I opened my eyes and Reina's and Alisha's concerned faces were above me.
"What happened…?" I asked. For some reason, I was sprawled on the floor and my chair was overturned nearby.
"You almost summoned a greater Earth spirit in the middle of the freakin' house, you idiot!" Alisha yelled at me.
"Really?!" Reina asked Alisha, "The Nature spirits he summoned were only lesser spirits. Is such a thing possible? After only few hours of instruction?"
"Faerie-magic! Raithe can use faerie-magic! And when I was teaching him the Earth meditation technique, the fool let himself get possessed by a greater Earth spirit! The spirit taught him Earth-magic, and I think it even gave him a blessing before it returned!"
"Oh, my." Reina covered her mouth with her hand.
I pulled myself up to a sitting position. "Why would I summon a greater Earth spirit in the house? That's just crazy. I don't remember doing… oh…" I trailed off as I suddenly remembered.
"Ah don't worry about it, Raithe. It was my fault. I was careless…" Reina seemed flustered for some reason.
"I don't understand." I was confused about why Reina thought it was her fault.
"There was an herb called ‘faeriebloom’ in the tea. It is said that the nectar of the flower is irresistible to faeries and that they will grant any wish if given it. Faeriebloom is not a common plant and only grows in certain conditions—most usually after storms or natural disasters, but where it is found, spirits are often found gathering around it. The herb is generally sought after for its use in the creation of Elven ceremonial wine. I use it in teas because of the stress-removing effect that it has and because the herb is a high-quality source of Nature-mana."
"So, I was intoxicated?" I asked. That would explain the strange direction of my thoughts after I drank the tea.
"Yes. But, it's more than just a simple chemical intoxication. In any case, I think this makes it clear that Raithe is indeed a faerie-kin. And, you've inherited the faerie side rather strongly."
I nodded.
"Now Raithe. What is this that Alisha is saying about you using faerie-magic?"
"Well… it's always been in my skills list, but I didn't have any spells listed, so I just figured the skill was something I couldn’t use until I learned a faerie-magic spell. It turns out, though, that simply speaking in the faerie language with an intent to create a desired result is enough to cast spells using faerie-magic. So, if I can say it and imagine it, I can probably cast almost any spell. The Earth spirit gave me the hint when it taught me an Earth-magic spell, but Alisha was the one who helped me figure it out,” I explained.
“I see. I am going to tell you this straight, Raithe. Other than the faeries themselves, the elves are the only race with first-hand knowledge of faerie-magic, and they consider the use of it to be a taboo. The details are sketchy, but it was written that among the early elves—those rumored to be the direct progeny of the faeries themselves—there were…accidents. In some cases, entire villages vanished or worse.
"Faerie-magic is thought to warp reality to the whims of the caster, but the Elven faerie-tales all too often speak of those who become lost in their own creations or of the magic becoming the fears and nightmares of the caster instead.
"You must not use it unless in the direst of circumstances—and maybe not even then. Because when you are the most desperate is when the magic is most likely to draw from your fears. Do you understand what I am trying to tell you?” Reina explained to me with a concerned voice.
"Yes. I was thinking the same thing. Faerie-magic just seems too convenient, and if I make a mistake, the risks could be terrible. Also, while I don't understand it yet, the risks are not just to others, from the skill description, faerie-magic apparently has the power to bestow blessings at the cost of giving away a piece of myself," I revealed, adding my own concerns.
Alisha gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry Raithe, I had no idea there was such a cost to using faerie-magic, and I pushed you to use it anyway."
"Well, I guess we all owe you for saving us back there, so don't worry about– …wait. You kicked me in the head. I'm just going to call this one even," I decided.
"Urk," said Alisha as she looked off to the side.
Reina checked her pocketwatch and cleared her throat, "Ehem, now that is all taken care of, we can move on to the next order of business. It's not yet two o'clock, so there is still time to get a few things done in town today—that is, if you're feeling up to it, Raithe. We can of course postpone the trip, since it sounds like you've already had a lot happen today."
I stood up and said, "I think I'd like to go out and see the village."
Reina accepted my choice with a nod, "Very well, we will continue with the planned outing then. Normally I'd ask you to help Alisha clean up, but…"
All of our eyes were drawn to the tea set on the table. The Nature faeries were still caught up in my magic dancing above my tea cup, but they seemed to be lost to the ecstasy and on the verge of burning themselves out.
“There's something I must do. The Nature spirits are still caught up in my magic. Forgive me this one last time as I clean up a mess I created.”
I raised a gentle hand toward the Nature spirits.
{Return}
The summoning was reversed, and the spirits disappeared.
The smell of the tea drifted over to me, but I resisted. That scent was the scent of madness.
Both Alisha and Reina were looking at me with some trepidation, as if waiting to see if the tea would grab hold of me again.
"Miss Reina, I know this might be a bit selfish, but since Alisha has offered to help with my hair, can I have her assist me in getting ready while the afternoon tea is cleaned up?" I asked.
"I don't see why not. And it would be good not to leave you alone until we're sure the faeriebloom has completely worn off anyway. Alisha?"
"Yep! I'd be happy to help Raithe out. Follow me, Raithe!" Alisha grabbed my hand and started skipping off toward her room.
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
-- Ads -- (Chapter continues below)
Once we were inside Alisha's room, she spun around in a circle with her arms up in the air and struck a dramatic pose. "So, what do you think of my room?"
I looked around. The inside of Alisha's room wasn't quite the den of a queen of evil that I was expecting. Instead, it was girly, well, as girly as a log cabin room can be.
The overall layout was basically the same as Jake's and my room, but with a few differences. Instead of an animal pelt rug, Alisha had a pale-green woven rug with a yellow and pink flower motif, and opposite the bed was a large bookcase full of books and nick-knacks and an ornately carved make-up table with adjustable side mirrors and a matching stool.
Her bedding also had a flower theme and there were pastel-colored knit blankets neatly folded at one end of the bed. On the bed were some cute hand-made stuffed animals also in pastel colors.
A quill and ink set, and a jar with flower clippings sat on her slightly ink-stained desk. A basket with crafting supplies and unfinished projects hid in the corner, half-covered by a flower-embroidered cloth. The chest at the foot of the bed had a similar piece of embroidered cloth, but with a tassel at the corner, draped over it.
"To be honest, it's a bit different from what I expected…," I finally said after taking in the room’s details.
"Really? How so?" She asked honestly.
"Well… let's see, there's no whips, or chains, or books of dark magi-OWW!" I was interrupted by a sharp Earth-kick to the shin.
"Cheeky words from someone who's likely to become my number one minion. Still, I guess I was a fool to get my hopes up for an honest reply,” she said, and seemed a bit down.
Aww, now I feel kinda bad about joking around. Maybe it wasn’t too late to try to turn her mood back around since hints about her interests were all throughout the room…
"Really though, this room is surprisingly girly, and cute. I had no idea you were into crafts. By the way, how come so many of these books have an embroidered rose on them?" Alisha perked up almost immediately as I diverted the subject to something I thought she'd like talking about.
"That's Lily Rosemark's trademark. She's an author that I really like. The books are all hand-written and then hand-copied by her aspiring apprentices. The general store doesn’t sell them out here that often, so occasionally mom will go to the capital and buy one for me. The stories are about love and adventure, heroes and villains, grand kingdoms and hidden countries. There's even treachery and betrayal. The story I'm reading now is about a roguish airship captain who sets out to see the world after inheriting a ship and crew from his father, only to find himself caught up in the machinations of a secret society. It's glorious!" Alisha said breathlessly with her eyes glittering, ending dramatically with an arm outstretched to the sky and her hand over her heart.
"Hahaha, sounds like a lot of fun. Though, I think I might want to avoid those kinds of books, so they don't get in the way of my magic studies,” I said teasingly, glad to see she was back in high-spirits.
"Urk. I properly do my studies,” Alisha grumbled defensively and looked to the side.
"Haha, you know, if you're not careful, I'll catch up in no time,” I warned playfully.
"That's not fair. Magic comes to you so easily," Alisha pouted a bit and took out the stool for me to sit on. "Now do you want me to do your hair or not?"
I obediently sat in the chair and looked at myself in the mirrors. Getting used to the smoked lavender hair with champagne tipping and the warm-toned iridescent skin with lavender depths was still difficult. My dark eye-shadow, dark-tinted lips, and smugly-proud elfin features weren’t helping matters much either, even if they did look ridiculously cool. Or, precisely because they looked so cool.
I was fairly certain that I wasn’t much of a flashy guy in the past. If anything, boring and normal was probably my style.
While I was checking myself out, Alisha took an ornately-carved wood comb from a drawer in her make-up table and started working on the tangles that had formed in the back of my long hair.
"What do you think, Alisha? Are your skills up to the task of improving upon the stunning beauty that is me?" I tilted my head back just a tad while making a completely self-assured slight smile and winked at myself in the mirror.
Oh yeah, that's enough to make someone die inside a bit.
The comb stopped for a second, but Alisha recovered and played along with a wry smile, "Rest assured, with my greatness, even someone as beautiful as you can be improved."
She deftly worked the rest of my hair smooth, and it gleamed with a luxurious sparkle.
"So Raithe, I was thinking to cut your bangs shorter and shape them in a way that would complement your dramatic eyes, but I've changed my mind. Any girl would be jealous to have bangs like these and it feels like a waste to cut them. So, here's what I've got in mind…”
Alisha used the comb to arrange some hair on the left side so that it came down in front of my ear. She then parted my hair on the right side, combing my right-side bangs down over the right side of my face.
"The hair in front of your ears is long enough that I'm thinking of using that hair to make a thin braid that goes down in front of your left ear. On the right side, I want to part it like this with your right-side bangs just barely coming in front of your right eye and then…"
She gathered and drew back the remaining hair on the right side and the bangs from left side firmly into a pony tail that started at the nape of my neck.
"…pull it back like this. So that your left and front bangs are drawn back, showing off your forehead and the braid on the left. It'll probably take a small amount of hair cream to get the bangs just right, but what do you think?"
"I think that's going to look really cool. You're really good at this stuff, Alisha," I said admiringly. The proposed hair-style was really dramatic and different.
Caught off guard, Alisha smiled shyly, and looked to the side as her cheeks reddened. She cleared her throat and covered for herself by going to get some things out of one of the make-up table's drawers.
Oh, God. So cute. Haha. And, I wasn't even trying to be charming that time. Considering how excited she is about romance and adventure stories, this is a prime chance to tease her. It's time to get her back for the whole dungeon thing. I'm going in for the kill!
Alisha was right beside me as she was going through the things in the drawer. I applied the mana on my vocal cords just like the intoxicated me did, and, leaning forward, I whispered in her ear.
"Alisha…"
She turned, surprised, and I calmly reached forward with my hand to caress her cheek as I looked into her eyes with my best impression of smoldering passion.
"My dearest…"
I leaned closer.
The story-book prince has come to charm you… but now for the twist!
"Little sister."
And pecked a kiss on her forehead.
Success! Mwahahaha! That tricked her good! I’m loving this new body! Hahaha!
What Alisha was holding slipped from her fingers and she stumbled backward, collapsing to her butt. Her eyes were wide as she scrambled to the furthest part of the room to stare at me.
Oh crap. I was expecting the 'Fist of Death' response, but I think I may have taken the joke too far. Aaaah, that was a colossally stupid idea! Now things are going to be really awkward…
"Ahaha, don't look at me like that, I'm sorry. I was just getting back at you for the scary dungeon prank you pulled on me earlier. I promise I won't mess around anymore. Anyway, what are these?" I reached down to pick up what she had dropped—a small, lidded pottery jar and a delicate metal-hinged jewelry box. Fortunately, neither looked damaged, and the lid on the rounded jar was tied in place neatly with a ribbon through small handles on either side of the lid and the jar.
"T-that's the hair cream and my embroidery kit… Ah! You idiot! Geez! Someday you're going to get stabbed!" she managed to reboot from her shock, jumping to her feet to stomp her foot and point at me.
Ah that's probably likely, unfortunately. Looking like this, if I mess around too much, in the future some woman is surely going to stab me.
"I'm not going to deny it, sadly. By the way, you said what the hair cream is for, but what's the embroidery kit for?" I placed the jar on the make-up table and held the embroidery kit out for her to take.
She inched closer, hesitantly taking the box from me, only to step back out of reach again.
Ah, looks like I overdid the charm attack, and the damage from my smolder is still pretty severe. I'll definitely have to be more careful in the future.
"Did you mean it?" she said with a small voice, sneaking a glance at my reaction.
Oh, god. Did she miss the ‘little sister’ part? The damage might be beyond repair after all… well, to get out of this awkward situation there’s one last card to play: go full gigolo and get punched.
"Huh? Oh, sure, I guess? We just met this morning, but I already feel like we've been through a lot, and you are the only girl close to my age I know. That, and, I mean, you've got some surprisingly cute sides for a psycho girl, and you're approachably pretty too, though your personality is a bit of a turn off…," I said breezily.
Alisha was staring at me with her mouth open in disbelief.
Uh-oh. That might not be enough… how about something a bit over-the-top?
I continued with an arrogant smirk and a thoughtful finger on my chin, "And if you grow into a modest-chested beauty like your mom, then I'd definitely have to consider you for my harem. Yep. Definitely." I nodded with exaggerated conviction and flashed her my winningest smile.
I'm gonna die!!!
Alisha continued staring for a while, still trying to process the unbelievable things I had just spouted, but the expected Earth-fist-of-death still didn’t come. My cringing while awaiting the attack must have shown, and instead she laughed with a goofy half-smile at the ridiculousness of my response, "Heh. You're such an idiot. Though, don’t you think that’s a pretty mean way to tease a girl and then turn her down? At this rate, I might be the one to stab you, you know."
Did I just successfully navigate out of the worst of the danger? And I didn’t get punched… Was that luck? Or was my blessing in effect there? Either way, one more push and I might be safe.
"Ahaha, sorry about that. Besides, what kind of weird expectations were you having? We're just kids, you know," I said with a disarming smile.
I sure hope my smile doesn't look like soul-sucking face!
"Oh, right. I forgot about that," Alisha muttered with an embarrassed chuckle.
Is that really something you forget about? Well, let's let that go for now. Things seem to be getting safely back to normal. Sheesh, that was almost a complete disaster!
"ARGH! That stupid face of yours is going to haunt my nightmares for at least a week now!" she belatedly vented.
After she said that, even though I had just managed to get out of trouble, I still couldn't resist. "But if it's my beautiful face, instead of nightmares, wouldn't those be wonderfully sweet dreams?"
"SHUT. UP." Alisha intoned deadpan, then took a deep breath and breathed out, letting out her stress.
That was scary there for a moment, but if I’m more careful not to stupidly overdo it and keep things light-hearted, playing the pretty-boy and teasing the girls might actually be kinda fun. That said, I'm still definitely going to get stabbed.
But I was a bit too naïve, and of course, Alisha hadn’t forgiven me yet for teasing her. Moving to stand looming behind me with a sinister face, she ‘Earth-flicked’ me in the back of one ear and then the other.
“Oww! …Oww!” I complained and rubbed the back of my ears to reduce the stinging. My long ears were surprisingly sensitive. Alisha had made sure to telegraph the attack so that I would know that it was punishment, and I meekly accepted my fate.
An evil smirk drifted across Alisha’s face. “Heh, I feel better now.”
I sighed with resignation. “Guess I had that coming.”
“Yep, you did. So, where were we?" she asked me.
"The embroidery kit?" I prompted, hopefully.
"Ah, right." Alisha nodded and worked the kit open.
Inside the kit were several small spools of colored threads and a set of small sewing tools: needles, scissors, thimbles, and the like.
Alisha quietly took out the red thread and held it up against my hair before nodding again to herself. Using the small scissors, she cut off a short length of the thread and a much longer piece of thread, then put the kit back in the drawer, leaving only the two pieces of thread and the hair cream jar on the make-up table. I watched all of this with mild puzzlement.
“You asked earlier about what I was planning with the embroidery kit. While thinking of how to tie your hair up and worrying that ribbons wouldn’t look right, I hit upon the idea of using red thread. It’ll work perfect for the front braid, but it’s a little thin for tying your hair in the back. When you get a chance, you’ll want to get thin strip of red leather instead,” Alisha explained.
“Ooh, I see. I’m sure that will look great,” I nodded in agreement. The idea was good, and I was glad that she was getting back on track.
“Okay, I’ll get started then,” Alisha said, and after coming the rest of the way around to the left, started to braid my hair. I was a little worried that more pain might be coming, but she did the braid-work seriously and instead came at me from a different direction.
“So, I’m approachably pretty, huh,” she said with a wry smile.
Oh, boy.
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked.
“No, I guess not?” She conceded but didn’t sound convinced.
“Aren’t approachably pretty girls more likely to find happiness?” I encouraged her. Not that I had any knowledge or experience to back that assertion up with, but it sounded like something I had heard before.
“You think so?” She trailed off into a reflective silence as she worked.
I watched in the mirror as Alisha skillfully braided the hair she had combed in front of my left ear.
“I think this one is looking good. Hand me the short thread,” Alisha requested, and I passed the thread along so that she could secure the end of the braid.
Alisha wrapped the thread around several times and tied it off, leaving the ends of the thread just long enough to hang down next to the ends of the hair. “There, that part is done,” she said with some measure of pride.
I checked the braid in the mirror and it looked really good, so I said so, but this time she just nodded workman-like.
“Let’s do the hair cream next.” Alisha untied the ribbon and opened the jar to reveal a milky, flower-scented cream. She scooped a small amount onto her fingers, and I saw that it had a slight spongey texture.
Oh man, does that look expensive.
She deftly worked the cream into my hair and used the comb to shape my bangs. Then after pulling my hair back and tying it off, the look was finally done.
"All done! How is it?" Alisha asked timidly, but still looked proud of her work.
The end result was dramatic, but not overstated. I thought that I might want to do something slightly different instead of gathering the hair in the back when I got older, but I was more than happy with the result. Alisha did a great job, and I looked really stylish and cool.
"I like it. It's me, but even cooler. Ah! With this I can play the cold, stuck-up elite guy even better. Heh, I'll have to give it a try." I made a pose lightly gripping my chin and looking down my nose with half-hooded eyes… hmm. Ack! Fingernails. "Hey Alisha, is there something we can do about my fingernails? Like maybe file them down or something?"
"Yeah, that vampire or werebeast look is no good. I do have a nail file, but you really should get your own. Here, sit down on the floor and I'll take care of it."
She put the cream back into the make-up table and got the file out. I sat on the floor like asked and slid the stool back under the table.
"Sit cross-legged. Right, like that." Alisha directed me and then went to retrieve the unfinished embroidery cloth that was half-covering her projects basket. Cloth and file in hand, careful of her dress, she sat down cross-legged in-front of me. "Oh, ugh, we'll need to do your toenails too. You're going to owe me a new fingernail file…, anyway let's get started on your hands."
"Sorry." I looked down at my toenails, embarrassed.
She laid the cloth out across our laps. "Your fingernail and toenail filings are probably a useful alchemical ingredient, so no sense wasting them, and I'd rather not have the filings go all over the floor in here anyway. Now let me see your hands."
Alisha immediately went to work filing my fingernails down. She had been kind of quiet while putting the finishing touches on my hair, so it was clear that she was mulling something over. What came while she was working on my fingernails was something unexpected.
"You know, Raithe, I've ended up showing you quite a few of my bad sides today. But I'm serious about becoming strong. Since I came to this world, I've had these unexplainable thoughts and feelings that should be impossible in a child my age," she said quietly and looked up to gauge my reaction.
This world. She said it clearly.
"Go on," I prompted, carefully maintaining a neutral expression on my face.
Alisha took a deep breath and leaned close, keeping her voice low. "Like the first time I lost myself in a book, it felt like a comfortable and familiar escape. How would that be normal when it was my first time ever reading a fiction novel? And I knew the words. I only had to learn the letters. I've never had to study vocabulary. I'm way too intelligent and mature for my age—it’s beyond abnormal. Spending time with you today, I can't help but feel that we are somehow the same. And, it is too much of a coincidence that we both have a Blessing, as well."
I was more than suspicious that she was a Reborn One like me. Unfortunately, there was no way to ask her without raising suspicion that I had the title. Though at this point, with what she had already revealed, I felt that there might be more to gain by taking that risk.
I kept my voice low, as well, and started by relating some of my own experiences that had been bothering me, "I've have had similar experiences. For example, I know what things are called just by looking at them, even if I've never seen or heard about them before. For example, your embroidery kit, that's really a jewelry box just being used to hold your embroidery tools, isn't it? I've never seen or heard of one before. I had been thinking that I knew these things because of my high language skill, but why would my skill be high without having learned the words and grammar to raise it? It's certainly strange."
Spurred on by my corroboration, her look became even more serious, almost haunted, as she continued, "But it's even more than that for me. For example, when someone important to me gets hurt, I have this terrible fear that I'm going to lose them. That—just like before—I won't be able to save them. It's a horrible feeling, as if I know I've lost a precious loved one before and wasn't able to do a thing to stop it. When I go about my daily routine, there's even a feeling that I must've devoted much of my life to the care of that person, maybe even at the expense of living my own life.
"In my time in this world, I've only known a loving family of my parents and brother, and they are all fine. Because of that, I can't help but feel that I've somehow been given a second chance. And I intend to make the most out of this second chance. I just don't feel that I could take it if I have to go through something like that again.
"I’ve resolved myself. For the tumultuous times that that are coming, I want to be one of the ones who writes history, not one of history's victims—not a bystander to life, like before."
Alisha had stopped working on my nails, and was gripping my hand fiercely, as she looked at me almost as if she was expecting me to excise the ghosts of the past that haunted her. There was desperate intensity in her eyes, maybe even a hint of madness.
I was shocked by her sudden emotional outpouring and couldn't even imagine what it would be like growing up with such overwhelming feelings… maybe her more usual, almost manic, cheerfulness was an attempt to stay afloat from this deep despair rooted in the depths of her soul. Whether it was unreasonable to think that I could help her, I wanted to try.
Changing my posture, I shifted onto my knees. My movement startled her, and Alisha realized that she was gripping my hand. But as she pulled her hand away, I grasped her hand on my own, and with my other hand, I pulled her into an embrace with her head against my chest. I whispered down to her, "It's okay. You are already a different person from before. It will definitely go differently this time," and held her close.
After a few moments, I sat back on my heels and gently grasped her head in both my hands, so I could look her in the eyes. The cloth that had been draped across our laps had folded up between us and slipped to the floor as I drew back, but I wasn’t worried about that. Tears had started to make trails on Alisha’s cheeks, and I brushed them away with my thumbs.
This much was not enough. I needed to tell her my suspicions about this world.
"Alisha, I don't know if it will hurt you or help you to know this, but I am not so certain that our old lives are over. There is no guarantee that we died. I certainly don't have any impression that my old life came to an end, and I'm guessing that you probably don't either, right?"
She shook her head, and sniffled.
I continued, "I don't know how I know this, but when I opened the [Status Screen] for the first time, not only did it feel somehow familiar, I also felt that it was a clear sign that this world is an illusion. An illusion made by humans. I also suspect that our memories of our past lives are not gone, but rather, we are blocked from accessing them directly. I suspect that we still have access to our original language skills and language knowledge, which is why we happen to know about things we've never encountered before. Does that make sense?"
Alisha nodded again and whispered, "But even if that's true, what do we do?"
I took a deep breath and reached down to grasp both of her hands. "Even if all of that is true. I think, at least until we learn the secrets of this world, we have to continue to live our new lives without the regrets of our past selves. It may be that this really is a new life in a new world and that we've been given a second chance, or it may be that someone put in a lot of work to create this illusion to allow us to experience a second chance unburdened by our pasts. But even if we are simply trapped or imprisoned here, it seems like an amazing world and maybe we should have fun and enjoy living here as much as we can. Surely, with the advantages we've been given there's no stopping a pair of geniuses like us, right?" I gave her a mischievous smile, and she smiled back tentatively.
"So, are you okay now?" I squeezed her hands with a bit of encouragement.
She nodded and squeezed my hands back. "Yes, I think I'm more okay than I've been in a long time."
"Well then, we should hurry and finish up here, I'm sure we've kept your mom waiting again,” I suggested.
"I'm sure too," she said with a laugh and wiped her face with her shirtsleeve.
No comments:
Post a Comment