When Roy came back to the watermill that evening, he placed the warm meat skewer at the storehouse's doorstep and knocked on the door before going back into the living room. Roy mentioned Vivien to Hank and Mana, and the couple held Vivien in the same regard as Tross did. He then tried to ask why their daughter hadn't been sent to the House of Cardell to receive an education.
Toya was a young girl, and being differently abled placed her in the minority. The House of Cardell might've taken her in, so Roy didn't understand why she hadn't been sent there. The couple told him they couldn't afford the fees, and they didn't think Toya was much of a learner.
Ah, so they're really that kind of scum. Roy spoke no further on the matter and hastily finished his dinner. When he went back to his room, he saw a rare guest waiting for him.
The oil lamp on the wall illuminated her petite figure. She was standing at the doorstep, her hunched back facing him, her shoulders lopsided. She was carefully wiping a handful of blueberries before placing them on the barrel outside. The girl heaved a sigh of relief once she was done, and she turned to go back to the storehouse. But then she saw Roy.
Toya was stupefied, her happy smile frozen. She stared down nervously, and she trembled — but she didn't run.
"Don't worry, Toya. I mean you no harm." Roy attempted to put on his best smile, and he stayed ten feet away instead of going up to her. "I just want to say thank you for the fruits. They're delicious."
"You…" Toya kept silent for a few moments, then she took a deep breath, resolving herself. "Y-You aren't scared of me?" she stuttered. Toya's voice was silvery and childlike, but also nervous.
"Why do you ask?" Roy stared into her eyes. "I don't think you're any different from any other girl."
Toya forgot to breathe for a moment, and her heart skipped a beat. Nobody had ever told her that. Not even her father. She'd longed for someone to say she was just an ordinary girl instead of a freak, and tears welled up when her wish was finally fulfilled.
Roy continued. "Those uneducated rascals do nothing but spread mischief and misery, whereas you're already taking care of the livestock, poultry, garden, and fields. You're self-sufficient. Toya, you're a remarkable girl." Roy smiled almost too enthusiastically. "I think a proper introduction is in order. I'm Roy, and I'm about the same age as you. My dad's a peasant in Lower Posada, and it's only been a short while since I came to Aldersberg. Toya, since you returned my gifts with your own over the last few days, then that makes us friends."
"Friends?" Toya thought friends were things she could never get. She used to have friends when she was younger, but once her back started getting hunched, her friends avoided her like the plague. She couldn't even remember their faces. All she could remember was how everyone looked when they were cursing her.
She wouldn't even dream about having friends. Toya started spacing out, looking as if she was at a loss. But then she started easing up and letting her guard down.
"Why don't we find someplace else to chat? Don't worry. It's just a normal conversation — something along the lines of what you had for lunch."
Roy looked around them. The moon had shone on the vacant land he practiced on every night. Ripples spread across the pond as the night breeze blew across it, the moon's silvery light shrouding it.
***
Roy heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the girl sitting on his left. He'd thought she would have run away. He'd never come into contact with a sensitive girl like her, and he was worried he might strike a nerve. This is a step in the right direction.
Toya obviously wasn't used to the situation. She was staring down, her fingers interlocked. She didn't look at the boy beside her, nor did she look at her reflection in the pond, worried she might see a monster staring back at her.
"Relax, Toya. Hey, have you ever seen a magic trick before?"
"No. And what's a magic trick?" she asked carefully.
"It's a trick. You know how tricks work, don't you? I can show you one. Look closely." Toya was surprised that Roy was being so imperious, and she looked at him reflexively. "Don't blink now." Roy extended his right hand, showed her his palm, then the back of his hand. Then he rolled his wrist once, twice, and thrice…
Toya counted silently, and then her jaw dropped slightly, her eyes widening in shock as a beautiful card appeared out of thin air into Roy's palm. The card featured a redhead in a red dress. She radiated the beauty of a blazing flame, an air of mystery surrounding her.
Roy rotated his wrist again, and a few turns later, the card disappeared into thin air.
"H-how did you do it, Roy?" Toya's attention had been grabbed. It was a basic trick, but she'd never left Aldersberg since the day she was born, much less seen a trick. "Where did you hide the card?"
"A magician never reveals his secret. Take a guess," Roy said. Toya held her chin, letting her hair tumble down as she immersed herself in her thoughts, forgetting her unease and fear.
And then Roy came to sit one foot away from her, interrupting her thoughts. Toya froze, cold sweat pouring down a face that had all its color drained. Her heart thumped in her chest, but not from diffidence. Rather, it was from fear and anxiety. Her long years of being abused made her fearful of those who approached her. She'd think they were there to torture, curse, or abuse her.
"Sorry for scaring you." Roy gave her an apologetic look, and he showed her his palms before moving backward until Toya regained a bit of composure. "I was just trying to take the card." He pointed at her white apron. "Believe it or not, Toya, that card is lying in your pocket right now."
Toya searched her pocket with hesitancy, then she pulled out a card — the same one Roy had shown her. It was a shame she was illiterate. She didn't know the name of the lady on the card, but she fell into a trance looking at the lifelike, beautiful, sexy woman, a hint of envy gleaming in her eyes.
"Interesting, don't you think?" Roy asked. "You may take the card."
"Why?" Toya was perplexed. She was already surprised Roy would give her herbs and food. "I can't take this. It must have cost a lot."
"It's just an ordinary Gwent card," Roy answered honestly. "Most innkeepers sell them. You can give me some fruits tomorrow if you think this is too expensive a gift."
Toya held the card, looking reluctant. A long while later, she said, "Fine then." She kept the card in her pocket carefully. "Who's the lady?"
"Sabrina Glevissig. A sorceress in Ard Carraigh, Kaedwen's capital city."
"A sorceress?"
"You'll understand that in time, trust me. Let's talk about something else." Roy sat beside her, and this time, Toya didn't start seizing. She swung her legs like Roy was doing, perhaps to ease herself.
Two young passengers boarded the moon in the lake.
"What do you do around the mill?" Roy asked.
"I have to feed the pigs, clean the place, and de-weed the fields. And that's on top of what you'd mentioned before*."
PR/N: About her already taking care of the livestock, poultry, garden, and fields.
Roy sighed. "So young, to be bearing so many burdens." Most girls her age would either be married or helping out their families, but none were having it as hard as her. "Do you have any hobbies? Painting, singing, dancing, or Gwent?"
"I don't know how Gwent is played, so singing, probably? But I don't really do it. Mana always scolds me. Says my singing is as bad as the roosters who crow every morning. Everyone laughs at me too."
"Don't listen to them. Your voice is perfect for singing," Roy said, praising from the bottom of his heart. "You could have sung in theaters if you went to any other city. It's quite late now, but if we have time, may I have the honor of hearing you sing?"
***
They talked about their lives. Roy was mostly doing the talking and asking, while Toya listened quietly, interjecting at times. Her answers were short and slow, but Roy managed to glean some useful information.
She hadn't been born a hunchback. The symptoms had started eight years ago, and they'd worsened. Her mother had died five years ago because she'd worried too much about Toya, and then her stepmother — the fat, harsh Mana — had come. Since then, Toya's life was nothing but endless labor, and her own father started becoming distant.
***
Roy could feel the fear and helplessness in her answers, while Toya noticed that Roy's eyes were devoid of her father's disappointment and disdain, as well as her stepmother's hatred. They didn't contain any of the discrimination the children and residents had against her either. Instead, they were filled with patience and understanding. She felt something she hadn't in a long time — respect.
That was the first time Toya had the desire to tell someone everything since her mother's demise, but that night was not the night for it. The moon climbed higher, and it'd been an hour since they'd started talking.
"Do you really… Do you really want to be my friend, Roy?" She dusted her dress off and stood, the shining moon illuminating her hunched back and lopsided shoulders clearly.
"You got one thing wrong." Roy smiled. "We are already friends."
"Can I talk to you tomorrow too?"
"Of course. As long as I come back here, you're welcome to talk."
Toya heaved a sigh of relief and limped back to the ramshackle storehouse. Roy saw her off.
'Toya
Gender: Female
Age: Thirteen years and ten months
Status: Civilian
HP: 30 ↓ (Mana corruption)*
Mana: 120 ↑ (Mana corruption)
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 4
Constitution: 3 ↓ (Mana corruption)
Perception: 6
Will: 6
Charisma: 4
Spirit: 12 ↑ (Mana corruption)
Skill:
Source (Passive): Has awakened the power to sense chaos energy. Now a magic-sensitive human. Loved by the elements of earth, fire, water, and air. Absorbs mana automatically at all times. Can control mana and release spells after receiving professional and systematic training, performing feats most people couldn't.'
PR/N: Her stats are affected by the mana corruption, hence the arrows. The mana corruption increases her mana and spirit, but decreases her HP and constitution.
***
Roy was reminded of what Letho had told him during the meditation lesson. If a magic-sensitive human were to awaken — but not be sent to a school for sorcerers to undergo training and tame the elemental energy within them — they would go insane from the rampaging mana. Worse, they might be transformed into a misshapen monster because of the uncontrollable mana.
Obviously, Toya, the daughter of Hank, was one of the unlucky ones. She was given the gift of magic, but didn't know how to rein it in. Her misshapen body was, without a doubt, the effect of the uncontrollable mana within her. She would die much earlier than most if left untreated.
Roy had helped her out of sympathy in the beginning, but now, he started coming up with a plan after he'd found out what Toya was. He might not have had the disposition of a sorcerer, but that didn't mean he couldn't befriend a future sorceress. It was an investment of sorts for him. Can't be a witcher without a few spellweaving friends.
The three-story house located in northeastern Aldersberg had a green roof and white windows, the fence surrounding the house forming a wide yard, and it had a sign hanging lopsidedly on the front door. On the left side of the yard was a field where seasonal vegetables were planted, and yellow vines crept along the wall on the side of the house. Behind them were colored, gnarly doodles made by children.
A hornbeam over forty feet tall stood in the center, its dense branches covering half the yard and the house. A long table that could seat twenty people was under the tree, but it looked shabby, obviously beaten up by the elements. Roy observed the area under the hornbeam for a while. Something stirred in him when he caressed the bark of the tree. This tree's at least a hundred years old, and these weird signs… Must be the naughty kids who did this.
Roy gently opened the wooden door on the first floor, and he heard a soft woman's voice coming from within. What greeted him were children sitting in silence and a gaunt, middle-aged woman writing on a blackboard with chalk.
"Our nation, Aedirn, is located in the east of Mahakam, neighboring Temeria. Lyria and Rivia are situated in the south of Aedirn, while Kaedwen is in the north, and Blue Mountains in the east. Aedirn's king is, as of current, Demavend III, the son of Virfuril. The nation's crest is a reddish-golden arrowhead with a black background. Vengerberg is its capital." The woman paused for a moment. "Since ages past, Aedirn has been the nation with the highest occurrence of peasant movements. The revolutionists have been fighting fiercely against the nobles and royalty to change the cruel tax system…"
Roy frowned after hearing that. Something feels off.
"Someone's eavesdropping, Miss Cardell!" A scrawny young blond boy sitting in the back raised his hand, interrupting the teacher, and sixty pairs of gleaming eyes shifted their gazes to the boy at the door. Half of the kids were boys, and the others were girls. The youngests were about five or six years old, while the oldests were fourteen or fifteen. Most of them were gaunt and in rags. Someone much older than the kids was sitting in the back, and she beamed when she saw the boy.
"What brings you here, Roy?" Vivien waved at him. She was obviously wearing much more conservative attire than when she bumped into Roy. Vivien was in a plain grey dress, her wine-red hair tied back in a ponytail, and she looked so much younger.
Roy hesitated for a moment, then he sat beside her. "Tross said you were a teacher in the House of Cardell. There was something I wanted to learn, so I came."
Vivien nodded in approval. "Good decision. Knowledge is the only way to change your fate. Welcome to the House of Cardell."
"I'm Tom. Hi, Roy." The boy who ratted on him extended his hand warmly, his features scrunching up as he gave Roy a toothy grin. It was a friendly yet amusing smile. Roy shook his hand.
"Keep silent, children. Read through your history lesson. I'll be going out for a talk." The middle-aged woman led Roy to the office on the second floor. "You may call me Miss Cardell, child. What is your name? I'm guessing that you're here to learn common speech?"
Roy nodded. "I'm Roy, and I'm not a local. Can I be admitted?" he asked nervously. Roy didn't want to have come all this way just to find out it was all for naught.
"We welcome anyone under sixteen, and you look the age. The fee will be twenty crowns a month, and you'll have to work with me so I can register your personal information, alright? Most of the people here are children." Cardell had a warm gaze, but her large, hook nose, laugh lines, and thin lips made her look terrifyingly stern. "I have another question. Do you have enough money?" Cardell was doubtful, since most students had their parents come with them.
"I work in the marketplace, so I have enough for the fees. Oh, yes, Miss Cardell, and that's also why I can only make it at noon." Twenty crowns was far cheaper than what Roy had in mind. He already had enough to pay even without his jobs.
"Do as you will. As long as you can keep up." Cardell kept his registration form in the cabinet under the desk once she was done with it.
Roy glanced at the thick stacks of forms neatly sorted in the cabinet. Once he paid the fee, he went back to the shabby classroom with Cardell, and his seat was between Vivien and Tom. The moment he went in, Roy noticed a few unfriendly glares coming his way. So not everyone welcomes me here.
A few burly boys seated at the upper right corner threw hostile looks at him when they noticed him coming in. The oldest boys had looks of jealousy and warning in their eyes, telling Roy to stay away from their beloved toys. Roy didn't care about them, since he saw no need to fight with a bunch of brats. Twenty crowns a month, and locals pay a lower fee. Are they running a charity business here? The money's barely enough for the food in this area. Roy made an estimate and noticed that there were sixty-five students in the class — excluding him and two teachers, who were Vivien and Cardell.
Food alone would eat up a lot of the crowns, making the education almost free, and they even provided accommodation for special kids.
"What are you thinking about, Roy?" Vivien looked at him, concerned. "Can't get used to the place?"
"I think it's fine," he whispered. "Is everyone from the lower city?"
"Yes. From ordinary families." She smiled. "Get along with them, and don't bully them just because you're older. Ask me if you need anything."
Roy nodded and started learning. The school was a shabby one. It had no tables or chairs. The students sat on the mat in rows. There were no quills or ink, only soot from coal that was used up. The papers were substandard, made out of grass. It was either that, or writing on the ground, erasing it, and writing it again. The conditions weren't great, but the lessons didn't come easy, so the students were extremely focused.
After teaching the new students for a short while, Cardell started teaching the basics of the common speech from the north. It was a new language that was born after the Conjunction of the Spheres. The alphabet and grammar were similar to the Slavic languages from his past life.
Roy felt bizarre — as if he'd gone back to his old world. For a moment, he thought he was a young high schooler sitting in his classroom as classes went on again. The original Roy had lived in this world for years, giving him a degree of understanding of the local language. To an extent, it increased his learning efficiency.
Roy's mature thinking and brain power as well as his insight were a big help too. His Spirit that exceeded a normal human's allowed him to stay focused for a longer time. More importantly, he was someone who went through a grueling education system in his old life. He wouldn't lose to anyone in the witcher world when it came to rote learning.
Thanks to those reasons, there was a chain reaction, and it made it easier for Roy to learn the new language.
***
When it was almost noon, the long tables under the hornbeam were filled with people from the House of Cardell. The autumn breeze blew across the steaming food, and the aroma wafted across the yard, making the quiet children gulp. None of them made a move though. They were looking at the middle-aged woman, waiting for her command.
Cardell stood up straight, as if she were a commander facing her soldiers before war. She nodded with approval at the children and said, "Prophet Lebioda lit up three flames for the people. One is justice, the other is equality, and the last is the flames of dreams. Every child here has a dream." She lectured about dreams and what they meant. "Our fathers and their fathers have always been farmers. Treasure the food they earned with their sweat and blood."
Cardell waved forward, and everyone around the table moved toward the food. Everyone had hard bread, vegetable soup, pickles, and fish jerky. It wasn't great, but beggars couldn't be choosers. The students stuffed their mouths full of food, as if it would be taken away if they were just a bit slower.
Roy was eating slowly at first, but he was surprised by how intensely the kids fought over the food. Influenced by their gusto, he inexplicably ate faster. It didn't even take the kids fifteen minutes to finish all the food. Not one mouthful of soup was left. Even the leaves that fell into the plates were gobbled up by one little rascal.
Roy was only half full though, and he could feel that most of the students felt the same. Tom puckered his lips. He was too scrawny to win against the other kids, even though he sat in the center. Roy had to say that was the best lunch he'd had since his rebirth. It was even better than the feast Seville treated him to. The best meal is the one fought over, huh?
Suddenly, Roy thought there was another layer of meaning to the speech Cardell had given them before lunch. It was one of fairness and equality, but she'd let the kids fight over food after that. Is she already teaching them the harsh reality of life when they're still so young?
***
The students had a short break after lunch, and they split into dozens of small groups, playing chase or chatting in the yard. Everyone was smiling, and once again, Roy thought he was back in PE class like in his old life. He couldn't believe a peaceful place like the House of Cardell existed in a magical world where revolution was in full swing. Roy was impressed.
Even so, disturbance stirred in the land of peace. As long as someone was popular in a group, there would be unpopular ones. One of them just happened to be Tom, the boy who'd said hi to him. He stood in the corner alone, fiddling with his fingers, staring at the other kids with longing.
"Aren't you going to play with them, Roy?" A fragrant scent assailed him, and Vivien crept up on him, her gaze filled with encouragement.
A chill ran up Roy's spine, and he shook his head. "We have nothing in common. What about Tom though? He looks like a sorry soul."
"Tom… Tom is an orphan. He's not like the other kids who have loving parents. The school's his home." She sighed. "And he's really frail, so the bigger kids keep ganging up on him, isolating him," she said solemnly. "Principal Cardell and I tried to tell them off, but it didn't work. We have too many things to take care of, so we can't keep our eyes on him. And we didn't show him enough care."
"So he's an abandoned child." Roy nodded. Bullying was a serious matter in modern society, let alone a shabby school like the House of Cardell.
A half-hour nap time followed the break, and then it was time for Vivien's lessons. They included simple maths, tips to make life easier, and the meaning of words in common speech. When a boring lesson was taught by a gentle, gorgeous lady, it sounded interesting. At least the boys with Roy didn't blink as they listened.
***
Once the clock struck five, parents gradually came to the House of Cardell to take their children home to the lower city. "Is it safe? Won't the human traffickers from the Sparrow Triad prey on the kids?" Roy went up to Vivien as he looked in the direction they left.
"They kidnapped a girl five years ago. From the school. Someone saw her body in the ditch the next day. Her parents, overwhelmed by despair, spent all their savings to buy coal oil and set one of their bases on fire at night. They went into the burning base and died together with the Triad members who were sleeping. I can still remember the moment their charred carcasses were taken out of the ruins." Vivien was still shocked even though it had been a few years since then. "From then on, the school and everyone in the lower city pressured the Triad. Even Baron Tavik was notified about the matter. The Sparrow Triad made some concessions and never did anything of the sort again."
Roy was reminded of what Seville had told him. "A good man's fury can demolish the entirety of the Mahakam mountains." Alright. That's another story I can tell Toya tonight.
"Come, Roy." Vivien held his arm, dragging him toward the classroom. "This is your first day, so there must be a lot you don't understand. I'll teach it again."
Roy was surprised she would do so. He had the feeling Vivien was overly nice to him since they'd first met, but he didn't think much about it. He was more than happy to master common speech sooner rather than later.
"Oh, why'd you come back, Roy?" Tom, who was staring at the other children, hopped to him and held his other hand. His golden hair swayed with the wind, and he grinned toothily, looking like a puppy who was happy about its master's return. "You don't have a home either? Why don't I play with you?"
Vivien pulled his ear, and he wailed in pain. "Roy's going to revise today's lesson, Tom. Since you're here too, you're revising with him."
Tom froze, and he tried to struggle free, but to no avail. Vivien dragged him into the classroom by his ear. "You kept complaining about being alone, didn't you? Then you're going to learn with Roy every day after school."
The boy's wails were sent up into the heavens along with the autumn breeze. The branches of the hornbeam creaked along with the wind, its yellowing leaves falling into the silence of the dusk.