"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?
Knowing the world is so interesting but not being able to explore it right now... The pain...
It's been about a week ever since I've woken up in this world but I think I've settled into a cycle that I've become accustomed to.
After a hearty morning breakfast, it would be time for my training as I did the exercise regime that was supposed to make one go bald.
Then I would come home and she would train me in fighting. For now, it was just some basic drills as I got used to having a weapon in my hands and also knowing how to handle it, so it was still manageable for me.
A sword was still too big for my current body so I was given a wooden sword that was scaled down to my size.
At first, I thought I would probably be suffering a lot from this, but I had totally forgotten that I was no longer just a normal human but a Meslatar instead. The 'warmup' exercises did tire me a little but it was not to the point that I could not do the rest.
She definitely knows what she's doing.
After the morning exercises, it would be a lunch break before I'm left in the study to read through the books that she had showed me that day. She really did expect me to read through all the books she had pointed out, though she left it up to me on which books I would read first.
I've tried asking her about magic but on this point alone, she told me that I was still too young to learn about it. Not because I could not understand it, but because my body's mana was not formed yet to even perform any sort of magic.
Despite that, learning about the theories on magic was on the table, that's why the books from Aerialla Academy were also left in as part of my studies. I decided to leave those be for now though, since I'd like to know more about this world first before diving into that.
Then at dinner, I would be quizzed on what I have learnt and she would correct me or add in information I might have missed.
I realised that during my reading time, she would be missing from the house and only return in time to cook dinner.
My question of wondering what she was doing during that time was only answered with a silent smile, before she started gushing about how cute I was worrying about her.
That brings me to the point of our relationship.
In this week, she had trained, taught, fed and clothed me with a gentle smile on her face, something I had never experienced in my previous life.
I don't think I'm ready to see her as my mother yet, but I've at least stopped being wary of her.
And for this particular morning, instead of doing sword drills like normal, she had announced that it would be different today.
"We'll be going to the forest today, my little one~ Hold on to this, just in case~"
I looked down at the small dagger wrapped in a leather sheath she had just handed to me. I'm guessing she was busy preparing this when she was missing.
"Mother… You just handed a one week old child a weapon," I pointed out.
"Ufufufu~ The smartest and cutest one week old child I might add~ Ahhhh~ you're so, so cute~"
"You're gushing again," I sighed, a phrase I've grown accustomed to saying after bearing witness to this scene over the week.
"Ara, ara? Mama can't help it when my sweet little one is so cute~" She gushed, patting my head excessively.
"Umm… Anyway… What are we doing today?"
"Oh, Mama is going to take you in the forest today! It's still too soon for my dearest little one to be fighting monsters, but to simply hunt some wild animals is fine~"
I looked down at my dagger that was not much longer than my forearm, "I'm supposed to hunt with this?"
"Ufufufu~ A sword would be too long for your current body right now, remember~"
My gaze shifted to my own body and I knew she was right.
Unfortunately, I did not go through any more growth spurts aside from the first day.
I did ask her if this was normal for Meslatars and she confirmed that it was indeed normal. In the wild, dragons were hunted from a very young age so they had to grow quickly or they would die. Even their own siblings and parents might kill them.
For Meslatars, the growth spurt of the dragons carries over in set stages of our lives but it would slow down due to our Mahun blood for the rest of the time.
It was only because I had my previous life's memories that I could act like this, otherwise, a normal Meslatar baby would still act like a baby despite having the body of a two year old child.
Must really suck to take care of one.
I do have to point out one problem though…
"Hunting and swinging a sword are two different things, mother… And are you sure I'm ready for this?"
"Ufufufu~ There's no need to worry about that, Mama shall be the one luring the animals to you~ Just having you swinging your wooden sword around without using it in practice is useless too~"
That's not really my point but what do I know? She has yet to do something that has hurt me so I'll just go with it for now.
I strapped the dagger to my waist before following her into the forest with my hand being held in hers.
If it wasn't the fact that we were dressed like this, you might have mistaken us for a mother and her child visiting the market with how carefree she looked. She was even humming a tune as we walked.
She moved through the forest without hesitation, as though she knew it like the back of her hand. It didn't take us long before we came to a clearing with a small stream flowing through it.
"Wait here, my little one and be ready~ Mama will go find prey now~"
And without so much as another explanation, her wings exploded out from her back and she shot up into the sky, flying deeper into the forest.
It's a little late but I realised that her wings aren't always outside of her body. When she doesn't need it, it seems to retract itself under her skin.
I wonder when my wings will start growing… I don't want to admit it but I actually missed flying.
Remembering where I was, I unsheathed the dagger and held it in my hands in a standard grip.
I did a few practice slashes with it and found that the blade was quite nicely balanced in my hands so I don't need to worry about it flying out of my grip. This was definitely custom made.
Right as I was wondering how long I needed to wait here, there was a loud rustle in the bushes and a rabbit-like animal jumped out from it.
I say rabbit-like because while it certainly looks like one, the sharp horn on its head definitely sets it apart from any normal rabbit I knew.
Also, it looks like it's coming to attack me.
I quickly lowered myself into a combat stance with my dagger held in front of me, just in time as the horned rabbit leapt towards me with the sharp end of its weapon pointed straight at my face.
Have you ever been in a position where something sharp was flying towards you? Like right at your face?
If you have, then you might understand why at that moment I froze as my mind blanked out after seeing that animal with its sharp horn leaping right at me.
Before it could skewer me however, a hand reached out and grabbed it by the neck, pulling it away mid flight and flinging it away to smash into the tree nearby.
"Oh my dear little sweet~ Are you ok?" Mother asked, fretting around me as she checked me for injuries.
I blinked, "I'm… I'm fine, mother. Did you… Did you expect that to happen?"
"Ara, ara? Perhaps? I doubt you would face such things on a daily basis in your other World, yes?"
I sighed, "Could I try again?"
"Ufufufu~ As expected of my little one~ Of course you can! Wait here!"
She flew off again into the sky, giving me time to look at the rabbit that she had just thrown at the tree.
Over there was the corpse of the rabbit that had splattered into literal meat paste on the tree, a very noticeable indentation on the wood from where the body had impacted.
The rabbit literally exploded from the force of being thrown… Just how strong is she?
Another rustle of the bushes brought my attention back just in time to see another horned rabbit leap out to rush towards me.
This time, when it tried to skewer my face I was prepared.
Remembering one of the moves I was taught by her, I lowered my centre of gravity and leaned my body to the side, just enough to allow the rabbit to sail past me.
At the same time, the hand with the dagger slashed out, cutting the rabbit across the side of its body as it leapt past.
It landed in a heap and rolled onto the ground, making a shrieking noise from the pain.
I turned around to face it and it looked like the wound was deep enough that it wasn't getting up any time soon.
"Ara, ara~ As expected of my dear little one! You did it!!" She cheered, appearing out of nowhere again. "Now kill it~"
…
I looked down at my hands, expecting to see them tremble or something, but somehow, the idea of killing it did not repulse me.
In fact, there wasn't any joy or fear either, it just felt… Normal?
I gripped the dagger and knelt down in front of the rabbit, slitting its throat and ending its suffering quickly.
"Should I… Should I be worried that I felt nothing doing that?" I asked.
She came up from behind and hugged me in her arms, "Why should the strong feel anything for the weakness of their prey? Such is the way of the ones that stand at the top of this World. Remember that, my little one. This World preys on the weak and if you do not wish to be prey, you'll have to be strong."
Yeah… I'll need to get stronger.
I need to get stronger... So I can eat all the sweets and cakes in the world and no one can tell me no!
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