Kapitel 6: Mother

After lunch was another study session where I learnt words and how to write them, something I did easily since it was pretty simple to do after I memorised the letters.

Again, she was utterly ecstatic about it and spent quite a bit of time simply praising and hugging me.

Dinner was also rather normal, if you consider her gushing and constantly patting me as normal that is.

Then, it was a bath where I was pretty much manhandled into joining her before being changed into a set of children's clothes I most definitely do not remember seeing the day before.

Like the previous night, she tucked me into bed while she joined me with nary a shred of cloth on her, hugging me close as she hummed contentedly.

I thought this would be the end of the day and prepared to sleep when she suddenly spoke up, "My little baby… Does mama scare you?"

I was a little surprised by the question so I looked up at her, seeing nothing but concern in her eyes.

"Why do… Why does mama say so?" I asked.

"Because you have not accepted me as your mother, haven't you?"

I grimaced mentally.

I suppose it's no surprise that she realised that, being a mother and all, but what can I say to that? How is a one day old Meslatar supposed to act?

Err… Do I just start doing some baby talk? Damn it! I should have tried to find some books about the habits of Meslatars or something.

Before I could say anything though, she ran her hand through my hair.

"I know who you are, my dear~ You're one of the souls who came from another World, are you not?"

I froze.

"Ufufufu~ Do not worry my little one. I understand it's a little scary being born in this strange and new World with strange and new sights, but you are still my child. I will never hurt you."

I looked up at her, finding nothing but pure, motherly love in her eyes.

"How did you know?"

She smiled at my question, "You were in that egg for quite a while and I have the ability to sense the going ons of this World. It has been a few months since the first of the people from your World arrived. I've done some digging and found out about the circumstances revolving around your World and our Gods. Besides… A normal Meslatar would not show as much intelligence as you have at birth, my sweet, much less even say their first words barely a minute out of their shell."

I frowned, "Then does that mean others know of our arrival as well?"

"Oh, I have no doubt there are others out there who have also known about this. There are people who serve the Gods directly and they would most certainly be privy to such things. But worry not, most people in this World remain in the dark about this."

"And… And what about you… Mama?"

With the current topic of our conversation, I was definitely not expecting her to lean closer and kiss me on the forehead before pulling back with a smile.

"My sweet, sweet dear. You are my child, nothing will change that. I understand if you still feel attached to the mother of your previous World, I do not ask of you to replace me with her. But you are born from me in this World and I will see you as my beloved child and nothing else."

Seeing that we've already reached this stage, I see no reason to keep this secret either.

I sighed, "My mother left the family for another man. My father abandoned me after racking up a debt he was unable to pay back. The reason why I'm hesitant to acknowledge you as my mother is not because I am attached to my previous one… But more because the concept of loving parents is foreign to me…"

My words had an instantaneous effect on her.

I was brought into a crushing hug while she cried, "My sweet, sweet child! You have suffered so much! You need not worry any more while I'm here! I swear I will protect you and you will never need to fear being abandoned anymore! Even if the World were to turn against you, I will always, always stay by your side!"

I was quite stunned by her declaration. Why would she go so far for me?

Before I could ask her, she had sat herself up so that she could put me on her lap, taking the time to pat my head as she did so.

"It was supposed to be impossible for me to have a child," She explained, a sad smile materialising on her face. "I prayed to the Gods for a miracle and they gave you to me. I will not give you up for anything in the World."

"Is that why… There is no father around?"

"Ufufufu~ That is correct my dearest~ I am… Your virgin mother."

Ok… I don't actually know how to feel about this.

Her fingers moved to brush a strand of hair away from my face, "No doubt, the Gods probably saw me as a convenient piece to bring you into this World. But to me, you are my miracle, my one and only sweet child."

I can understand her sentiments at least, I was the child she had always wanted and never thought she could have.

But for me… Even though logically speaking, I knew she would never be like my previous mother, I still could not simply just accept her so easily.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, though loud enough for her to hear.

Instead of getting angry or upset, she leaned forward to kiss me on the forehead again, "It's ok my little sweet, I understand."

I shook my head, "It's not that… I… I just need some time. I've lived on my own for so long, I have never expected to receive any sort of familial love before… I just need to get used to it… Is that alright?"

"Ufufufu~ That is more than I can hope for my little one. I will shower you with so much love to make up for your lack of it in your other life~"

At this point, I don't know if it's just her or if this is what a normal mother is like. I most certainly cannot imagine my mother from the other world would ever do this for me.

She held me in her arms while a low hum resounded from her throat, an emotion I recognised at contentment flashing on her face for a split second.

Since she already knew everything, I decided to simply go ahead and ask her, "Now… What should we do?"

She giggled, "If my little one is referring to this immediate point of time, I think we should simply go to sleep. But if my sweet child is asking about the plans for the future… I suppose I should ask what your real objective for this World is?"

I smiled, "I wish to travel the world and experience it for myself, recording down all the interesting things to write a book that will be remembered for ages. Though… The sweets and cakes is also one of my objectives… I like sweets."

"Ufufufu~ I suppose my little one would want to have enough power to venture to places that others dare not tread?"

"Well… I believe that the strong thrive here while the weak grovel right? In that case, I would definitely like to have power that allows me to stand above all else. I don't suppose you… Mother… Could tell me how to do it?"

She smiled at my attempt in trying to change my perception of her but decided not to comment on it, instead she simply addressed my question.

"My sweet, sweet child… If it is power you seek, you need not look further than Mama~ You did not think that Mama got this land and everything around it outside simply through purchase, did you?"

I suppose not.

According to the map, the closest place of civilization was literally a sea away. She must have fought tooth and nail against the other inhabitants of this island for this piece of land and built it up with her own hands.

In such a place literally called "Dragon Sanctuary", someone like her being able to live here means that she's most likely one of the strongest existence in this part of the island at least. Thus learning from her would be the best choice.

"If… If mother does not mind… I would very much like to learn from you."

"Ufufufu~ In that case, how hard does my sweet little one wish for me to teach you? I could do this slowly with plenty of assurances, care, love, cuddles and validation; or I could push you to be the very best that you can be, doing all that I can to train you to be someone that others will kneel to in the shortest time?"

"I don't suppose there's a third option that is both fast and also filled with plenty of assurances and validation?"

"Ara, ara? As much as I wish to say there is, this is unfortunately not possible. These two methods are polar opposites, exclusive of each other."

In that case, there isn't really much thinking required in order to choose. I needed power, enough power such that no one could stop me from going to places I wish to go.

Especially since there are other transmigrators here too, meaning they would have the same cheats I have. Some of them might have even found better exploits than I had too and who knows what they plan to do to this world?

My previous life wasn't filled with rainbows and roses either, so if I could deal with that, I think I can deal with her harsher teaching method.

"Please… I want to become strong… Mother."

She smiled and hugged me closer to her naked chest.

And that was the night I thoroughly regretted my words.

AUTORENGEDANKEN
Draekai

Is it normal for a mother to sleep with her child like this though? Maybe it's a Meslatar thing.

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GESCHENK VERSENDEN

Kapitel 7: Start Of Training

"These are the books that have most of the recorded history of the Lehcarouc Kingdom including the names of the most prominent people within! Here also lists their customs, their policies and also what each of their villages, towns and cities are known for!"

Waving her hand, two more stacks of books were dumped on the table, "These are the same except this one is for the Shendhala Oligarchy while this is for the Democratic Republic of Modgnik! These are the three biggest civilizations that consist of Mahuns!"

I looked at the two stacks that were at least thirty books high each, each book being as thick as a dictionary.

Before I could even say anything, another stack of books that were bigger than all three combined appeared on top of the already creaking table.

"And I'm sure my dearest little one would also wish to excel in magic as well, yes? These here cover the standard curriculum of the Aerialla Academy from the basic to master's level! Now shall we start, my little one?!"

…

Just to put it out there… But her eyes are bloodshot…

Also… Where did all these books come from? The number of books here definitely couldn't have fit in the small bookshelf beside the study table… In fact, they definitely do not look like they came from that particular bookshelf either seeing the bookshelf was stil full.

"Umm… Mother… Maybe we should do this one by one?"

"Ara, ara? It seems like mama has gotten ahead of herself. Ufufufu~"

I gestured to the books in front of me, "How did you even get all of these? I don't think just anyone can get a hold of these books, can they?"

"Ufufufu~ That is correct my sweet, little one. But mama has her ways~ Don't worry, they aren't stolen or anything like that."

That actually makes it more suspicious… The fact that she could get all of these books legitimately is already putting a big question mark on her real identity…

Should I be worried?

Oh well, I should just thank my luck that because of her, I get access to all of these research materials even before I start hunting for them.

Looking at the map, Lehcarouc Kingdom was the closest to us so I thought I could learn more about it first.

"What's the kingdom like, mother?"

She smiles and picks up the first book on top of the pile, flipping through it to stop on a page before handing it to me.

Written there was a short summary of the kingdom's form of governance. It was basically the textbook mediaeval fantasy kingdom where the country is ruled by a king or queen where lands are given to a few nobles who govern the lands granted to them in the name of their liege.

"Their primary export lies in food, livestock and precious metals while their primary imports are processed ores and slaves," She added.

"Slaves?" I repeated, looking up at her.

"Yes. Criminals, prisoners and other such slaves are brought in from Shendhala Oligarchy to be used in their mines and farms, depending on the slave. The ones who are sold because of debt would usually be put in less demanding work to earn back their freedom while the criminals are put to work in jobs that have higher mortality rates, depending on their crime."

Ok, so slavery exists in this world, not that surprising.

You definitely won't see me picking up the pitchforks to demand an abolishment of it anytime soon since I'm not going to try and impose my own world's ideals here, but I have a feeling that there might be a few transmigrators who would try to do just that.

In the end, it's still none of my business anyway, we're the outsiders here and if the people of this world never tried to change it, who are we to decide our ideals are better than theirs?

I was broken out of my internal musings when she moved to sit on the couch beside me, "When my little one grows older, mama will bring you to walk around the kingdom together~"

"Are they racist?" I asked.

A smile materialised on her face, "Unfortunately, that does exist though it's not as rampant as my child might think it is. There will always be a few that carry the idea that their own race is superior compared to the others, just so that they can make themselves feel exclusive. Even amongst the Meslatars, there are plenty of them who feel superior simply because of the dragon blood in them. But to answer your question, my little sweet, you need not worry about being ostracised for your race in this world… Mostly."

I did not miss the last word that she added in at the back but I knew what she meant.

Looking at the map of the world that was spread out at the side, I noticed the floating continent that was to the right of the Shendhala Oligarchy.

"What about Aerialla Academy? Are they like some kind of magic school?"

"Ufufufu~ I knew my little one would be interested in them! They are, for the lack of a better term, an academy that teaches everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything," She confirmed with a smile. "The place was founded with the idea that anyone could learn anything there, its founders gathering the brightest and greatest minds of that time to create such a school. All forms of magic, every professional skill and every subject could be taught there."

"And it's an independent organisation?"

She patted my head, "Ara, ara? What did I do to deserve such a genius? You are correct, they are not tied to any country but remain independent. Unfortunately, that also means that they have strayed quite a bit from their initial policies."

Such a change was normal of course, no one could survive on just purely hopes and dreams. The Academy needed a way to secure funds and also avoid conflicts with other governing bodies while pushing their own agendas at the same time.

That means politics. Ugh.

She lifted one of the books in the Academy pile and placed it in front of me.

Looking at the title, I managed to figure out that it's a book about the history of the aforementioned Academy.

"Before, they used to accept any kind of student as long as they wished to learn. Now, it's seen as the most prestigious school that only the best or most influential students could attend," She explained, opening the book up to show a picture of the school. "They have set up branch schools in all the capital cities of the major civilizations and students who excel there would be granted permission to further their studies on their little floating rock."

"Was mama a student there too?" I asked, a little curious.

"Oh by the Creator, no. I never really saw a point since they could not help me attain my dream."

Ah, that's right, her dream was to have a child.

"Was it not something that could be cured? Even with magic?"

She reached forward and hugged me to her chest, "No… Mama's condition was… Special. But it doesn't matter now, you are here and that's the important part."

I didn't know how to respond to her so I turned back to look at the map, "I… I think I would like to go there. To learn everything I could."

"Ufufufu~ I do not doubt it, my little dearest~ When you are of age, Mama shall bring you to attend one of the schools. You will definitely get there, my little sweet~"

I'm not sure where her confidence in me comes from but I definitely wouldn't give that up either, her confidence does give me quite a boost to my own too.

That was when I noticed something else on the map, "There's dungeons?"

Her gaze shifted to where I was looking at, particularly a city located on an island in the middle of the lake, the one labelled 'Dungeon City'.

"Ara, ara? There are dungeons in this World, yes. Adventurers had explored that island and discovered one of the biggest ones in existence, prompting even more people to go there to seek riches and fame. Over time, they started building a settlement there until it blossomed into the Dungeon City you see there now."

"So there's also an Adventurer's Guild?"

"Ufufufu~ Not quite. Here, it is just known simply as The Guild. It's a neutral organisation with its headquarters set up in Dungeon City with four subsidiaries operating under them. One of these four is the Mercenary Group that are exactly as they sound like. Anything anyone wants done and has the coin for it be it escort, monster slaying or even just simple odd jobs, the people in the Mercenary Group will handle it. And yes, they do have a ranking system there."

Ah, so that's their version of the Adventurers in most stories. Good to know.

"There is also an Adventurer Group but they operate very differently. People who join it are explorers who seek out relics and ruins, most of them aiming to document and record the world as their purpose in life."

So basically archaeologists and historians of sorts? I can see why they are called adventurers since they venture into the unknown.

"The third group is the Merchants Group, which as you might have guessed, is a group that focuses on trade and money. They are hired by people to manage businesses or organise trade between companies as a neutral party. But most of all, they are the middlemen for auctions."

So accountants, brokers and business managers. Interesting.

"Last but not least, the Dungeoneer Group. These are the people who would dive into the dungeons to obtain treasures and Mana Crystals from slaying monsters within. They too, have a separate ranking system similar to the Mercenary Group. Also, there is no restriction on a person joining multiple groups too~ You could join all four if you like!"

Quite an interesting system they have set up here.

Argh! This world is already so interesting!! Simply hearing about it isn't enough! I want to explore it so badly!

She stood up suddenly, "Now, my little dearest, I think that's enough morning lessons. Shall we head on to our afternoon training?"

I looked up at her, "What afternoon training… Mother?"

She smiled and her clothes suddenly shifted to something resembling leather armour.

"Physical training of course~ Now why don't my little one start with a ten kilometre run? Then we'll come back and do some light warmups of a hundred push ups, a hundred situps and a hundred squats before we move to sword training?"

…

I feel like I need to say this… But I'm only two days old in this world, you know?