Conspiracy, a Story Book and the Adoption
陰謀と本とアドプション
“It sure is nice day…” for the last one and a half Bell, these were the only words that I have muttered. Right, this is what you call boredom.
Why am I bored? It all comes down to last night’s fiasco.
While the entire ordeal had spiked my adrenaline to its height, the direction it took afterwards dropped it considerably. When the hooded man disappeared, the townspeople together with the Romaria couple had gathered to calm the children.
“Ace, I am glad that you went before us, if we were a few minutes late… the children would have been…” Lady Anna choked her words as she soothed the children tears and fears. It was not unfounded too, had I just stood by and waited, the children would have been taken to wherever non of us dreaded to think.
“The one that got away seem to have been quite skilled.” Sir Heid had a serious voice as he cooly commended my actions.
“T’is reeks Dark Guild if you ask me…” Old man Arldo grunted, and a few people nodded in proximity in agreement.
Apparently, the Criminal Guild is a thing in this world. This guild is a term used for organizations that operate outside the laws of the sovereign. According to sir Heid, there are four organizations consisting of the guild: the Thieves’ Guild, Underground Merchants, Raiders, and the Demon Lord’s Cult.
As the name suggest the Thieves’ Guild is an organization that make use of banditry, pilferage, and other analogous acts to their victims. They seem to be active especially in thriving places. This guild seems to be one of the prime suspects moving behind the events occurring here in Amarante.
The Underground Merchants is for merchants dealing illegally. I am told that the merchants who are doing business in the Underground and expelled from the Merchants Guild because of their trading that make use of illegal means resorting to violence, threats, and deaths. This organization is another prime suspect.
Raiders is another organization that operate outside the laws of the sovereign. This group are expelled members of the Hunter’s Guild. Due to individual transgression or committing foul crimes and excommunicated from the Hunter’s Guild. As would have it, the expelled individuals created an organization that would operate the same as the Hunter’s Guild but do not adhere to the laws of the sovereign. This organization is least suspected because they only deal with dungeons.
And lastly,
The Demon Lord’s Cult, an organization whose members worships Demon Lords. All their business and dealing are mysterious. Their members and numbers are mysteries… heck even their motive is mysterious. While there is a possibility of their involvement, the town people had brushed the idea as the organization’s existence is placed into question.
After much deliberation, we have concluded that only two of these organizations are most likely involved. It could be either the Thieves Guild or the Underground Merchants. Logically thinking, both will profit from either selling their organs or the kids themselves for slavery.
I guess in whatever world, these people do exist. For them anything can be considered a product even human lives, anything is fine long as they can profit from it, the word ‘Despicable’ does not even cover how troublesome they are.
“Ace, we need to protect the children.” Fear and resolute was intent on Lady Anna’s voice. “We should be fine now that we have the merchants supply us with our necessities. Until the dispatched units from the Hunters Guild come, would it be okay if you stay here in the mansion and protect the children?”
Her suggestion was quite sound. For now, so long as the orphaned children remain inside the Church, no evil schemes can enter and will be safe. However, the couple and the soon to be adopted children will most likely be the ones who would be in danger.
Therefore, for the next few days until the C Rank Hunters from the Guild gets here, I will remain in the mansion.
Which lead to my current boredom.
*****
The Little Girl and Resgewald Volume 1: Meetings
Story and Art by Mere Mosaic
In a faraway land, a magnificent City of Night could be seen. In this City of Night stood hundreds…no, thousands of buildings of different sizes and forms. Besides each building are lampposts of different numbers that shines differently, thus continue to light the magnificent City of Night.
At a corner of this City of Night, stood a certain building. Two lampposts alternately continue to light beside it. The building had a fresh look; it would not even take a discerning eye to say this was rather built recently. Compared to the other neighboring buildings, it was relatively small, about 2-storey tall, it had four corners and atop it four windows were plastered. Relative to the plain look of its exterior, as one would expect from a newly erected building, not a thing was present to decorate it.
…And inside that very building, a lone girl slumbered.
One day a touch from heaven –rain, fell down from the sky.
“Ah!” the little girl woke from her slumber as a droplet of water from the rain touched her skin. A hole for some reason was on the roof.
“I need to fix the roof.” Her solemn voice echoed throughout the house. However, despite wanting to fill the hole with something, since she could not reach the roof or the hole, she would not be able to fix it.
Little by little as the rain continued to fall, without any other exit the water begun to fill the house and soon enough it had reached the little girls waist.
“I wonder what I should do.” She spoke. At first thought, one would think that she was wondering what she could do to fix the roof. However, since it was already established that she would not be able to fix it, the real meaning to her words was -boredom.
Maybe because she was alone from the start that she could not feel any fear or anxiety from her current predicament. She was able to tread many experiments while waiting for the water to rise up to the window.
By the time the rain had stopped a few Ticks later, the water was already a quarter full of the volume of the house. By then, she had learned few things: One was that she was able to walk the water’s surface. Another was that she was able to manipulate the water and form it according to her thoughts.
Thus, her routine became fixated to experimenting with the water. “I wonder what I should form this part of the water?” as she shaped the water to different shapes.
However, with little to no knowledge of what to form the water with, she continued with her experiments endlessly.
A few more Bells came, with her experiments still did not bearing a single fruit. She found herself back to boredom.
Until…
“Hahahahah” The little girl heard a boisterous voice just outside the wall of the house. “That was such a nice haul”
“Please be quite I can’t concentrate with my experiments!” said the tiny voice of the little girl and yet the voice seems to have heard it as it replied: “Sorry ‘bout that.”
“My name is Resgewald, a thief by trade!” the voice said proudly.
“Me… my name is…” with nothing to give herself, a sad grouch came instead.
“I see… you do not yet have a name… maybe you can draw inspiration from my tales I will give. In exchange, allow me to laugh to my heart’s content near your house. Ain’t a bad trade if I say so myself. hahahahahaha!”
The little girl with nothing much to do, took on the trade.
Thus was the meeting of the unnamed little girl and the daring thief Resgeswald.
*****
The diner did not demand too much of my time. While it was true on peak hours (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) that would require extra hands to wait or bus on tables. After those hours however, four people was enough to handle all those chores.
While there are other things that can be done like gardening or cleaning the rest of the house. Magic was just too convenient and soon enough because I could not do anything else I instantly became a third wheel in this household… or the fifth in this case.
With so much time, I decided to read some books in the library. This was a good way to pass time, learn a few things and practice reading.
Currently, I am re-reading the first book that was used to educate me of this world’s writing system – the Uniscript, the children’s picture book titled: The Little Girl and Resgeswald Volume 1: Meetings. I did not know why but the story intrigued me and instantly became one of my favorites.
Now is a good time, so allow me to digress here a bit, although I say books, it is not really made of multiple paper bounded to a thick cover just like how I have been reading in the previous world. If you look at it on a conventional way in my previous world, it is closer to being a tablet. I have learned that this world does not have the concept of as paper made of plant. Their primary source of materials for writing information or this called book are from magical stones known as ‘Magsonite’ which can be mined deep on certain dungeons.
While it cost the lives of trees in my previous world, it does not seem to be so in this world. In fact, strict laws in this world protect forests, while it does not prohibit anyone from cutting them, you have to inform authorities about how many you cut and abide by the one-tree-five-seedling-law (meaning one felled tree and planting five seedlings to replenish it). Not adhering to this law will be a trip to jail or the mines. That is how strict they are here in Resmere.
Let me further digress here, the world I am currently in is called Resmere. Resmere has a strong foundation and history. One of the books that I used to practice reading is the children’s bible, which contains the creation of the world. How the world blessed by Mana and how gods and goddesses protected this world from the violent magical beasts (monsters) that first inhabit it.
If I had read Resmere’s bible in the previous world. I would definitely have considered a great work of fiction. In fact, the bible in my previous world regarded with skeptics and sometimes put into question. Here in this world however, everything written is true account (so at least how sir Heid and everyone else believe). This is the reason why the Church has almost equal or even greater power than any state in Resmere.
Well, I am using these books to obtain more than just the reading practice; this has become a means for me to ascertain a way to return to my previous world.
*****
So, for the next few days became more a session of reading books… but even so, it did not mean that the boredom disappeared. With the Romaria’s becoming busy with unearthing the mysteries of the orphanages in Amarante and completing the adoption process of the twins, I was left to reading all day which led me to get back to ‘boredom land’.
Speaking of the twins, the two have completely opened with the Romaria’s and are as eager for the adoption. The day after I had blurted out a way for the couple to protect the twins. The couple did respect the twin’s decision and ask them if they wanted to get adopted. The scenario went:
“You don’t have to if you don’t like it but.” Lady Anna was fidgety. “Do you want to get adopted by us?”
“Ha?” the two were easily bombarded with the proposal were too shock that they could only utter those words.
“Well, if you have a place you want to go, we could also help you get there if you want.” Oh, the levelheaded Sir Heid easily put the talk back on track. However, I could see Lady Anna sullen.
“R-right… if you have a place to go, we will help you…” Lady Anna averted her eyes.
“Why? We almost got you killed last night… why are you so kind to us after that.” A pint of tears on her face, she was probably holding it.
“Because… I want you to become my children.” Lady Anna’s smile easily broke that bar that was holding Lan’s tears.
“But we are too old for adoption. That is why the orphanage had given up on us.”
“But I want you to become my children.” She said it twice.
Ran who saw her sister in tears also cried and so the twins accept the Romaria’s as their foster parents.
The orphanage that took them in together with the mean looking people who came to the orphanage blackmailed them separation if they will not succeed their task. However, that was a problem before, but now it was not the case.
“Ace, can you take care of the two while we go take care of the adoption process?”
“Sure. I will guard them with my life.”
On one fine day while the couple were moving here and there to legalize their adoption and unearth the conspiracies that used orphans for evil. The twins left under my care again, as they were still unable to go out of the mansion freely. Their lives are still at risk from the ones who had given them orders to assault the Romarias (most likely from the one with the greatest animosity).
“…” says the boy who is not too good talking to people.
“…” says the girl who would not even look me in the eye.
“…” says the guardian who could not find any topic to talk about them.
Now what to do here?
