Helping out a person in need

Poiri. A huge city, housing nearly half a million residents. Within its high, fortified walls, lay many solid buildings with as many purposes as droplets of water in a lake. Some were used as smithies, others as barracks, bakeries, and so many more. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call Forna’s capital a city-state of its own. Surrounding square kilometers of nearly perfectly even plains were used as farming grounds, and nearby forests were tended to and provided large quantities of fine-grade wood to work with. A river was flowing through the city, providing its inhabitants with near-unlimited, fresh, and clean water. Travis still remembered when he last saw those walls, just in June last year. Still, he couldn’t help but marvel over their imposing size.

Travis was sitting on a fallen tree, Leaf next to him as the two of them were slowly eating their meal. ‘Looking back at it, that tower looked even bigger when I was younger.’ he thought, looking at the city, or rather, a singular tower in the eastern part of its center. That part was commonly known to residents as the Church’s grounds, and had its own walls, securing about half a square kilometer in the middle of the city. It was said that only faithful men were allowed to ever enter, and even the king of Forna had to send an audient to arrange a meeting with the higher-ups of that place. This was the power the Church had, one that rivaled that of the nation’s king. Had it not been for their symbiotic relationship, the Church would've probably been its own country at this point.

In the middle of that district, there was a large building, bulky and fortified beyond what the strongest fortresses could boast. The walls were so thick that even from a distance of a few kilometers, the building’s heft and weight could be seen. A tall tower extended from the powerful base, reaching more than a hundred meters above the ground, its sharpened tip pointing upward as if it were trying to pierce the skyline. Compared to that building, the king’s castle, which was about 30 meters tall in total, looked much less imposing.

Travis's gaze swept across the terrain all around. There were hundreds of people going around, slowly coming in or out of the city. In the fields, some farmers were working, going through the fields. Some distance to the west, a large field of trees was planted in a fine grid, and there were dozens upon dozens of people tending to the trees, wanting them to bear as much fruit as possible in the coming months.

The overall terrain around Poiri was plains, but it wasn't the only thing of geographical value around. To the city’s northeast, west, and southwest, there were small mountains, about 7-8 kilometers between each peak and the city down below. A ring of villages was present around Poiri at a mostly equal distance of about 2-2.5 kilometers, forming a ring on the nearby hills.

After finishing their break, the two resumed their walk. The stone road was paved with accuracy that could only be reproduced by dwarves, and roads had occasional wooden poles with large, glass balls on top of them, which lit up at night to allow for safe travel in the vicinity near the capital.

A sigh escaped his mouth. ‘If the circumstances were normal, I’d love to go and look around the capital a bit.’ but he looked to his left, and sure enough, Leaf was still there. ‘But my current situation is anything but normal. We shouldn’t stay around for longer than needed.’

They didn’t approach the city closer than about 3 kilometers. Making use of the roads going in between fields (for easier dividing them into sectors), they started going counter-clockwise around Poiri.

The sky was nearly perfectly clear, and thanks to that, the air was being slowly heated up by the sun’s beams. Brown ground all around was seemingly freshly upturned, filling the air with its scent. Travis looked at a few visible farmers, and formed a small smirk, seeing how they were pulling the handles of their tools or using plows pulled by large cattle, loosening the soil to let it breathe. Almost all of them, at least.

Passing by one of the fields, both he and the elf woman came to a halt when they saw an older man shout at a still-young worker.

“Come on! What’s so difficult?! It’s just a plow!!” the man’s face was red with anger. “Just pull it!”

“I-I’m trying!” the youngling replied, a glint of fear evident in his voice. Alas, even when he did his best, the plow barely moved.

“You’re trying?!! Then how come we’re still at the beginning?! We should be done by noon, and we’re not going to finish it by an evening at this rate!”

Travis felt his fist shaking with anger. He took a short moment to look over at the boy. He was rather young, maybe 15 years old, of somewhat thin body type, and slightly lower than himself. On his body, there were signs of hard work etched deep in his skin as bruises, his muscles clenching with all their might as he did what he could to get the tool moving but with little success.

The man who was watching over him was of clearly older date, perhaps as old as sixty, his wrinkled skin red with anger. He had a similar body type to the boy but was clearly more muscular, and roughly a head taller.

Apostle felt a vein bulge on his head when he watched the scene unfold.

“So weak! When I was your age, I did this field in 3 hours! And you can’t do a single row in half an hour! To have such a useless son!”

“I-I… I’m sorry...” the kid kept on apologizing, evidently trying to break through his limits just to be able to do the job. Sweat was tapping down his cheeks, mixing with tears that flowed from his eyes.

“You’re sorry?! Then why won’t you work?!” the man seemed to want and beat up the kid, but the most he did was hit him lightly in his stomach with a long stick. “What’s with that posture?! Do you want to end up with a hump?”

The kid wasn’t even able to utter an apology, instead whimpering while slowly pulling the plow.

Travis felt a tingling sensation travel through his fingertips, his fist shaking in rage. He wasn’t even aware when, but he summoned a <Mana Bolt> to his palm, the pale blue wisp dancing in hand as his eyes remained locked on the old man, about 25 meters away from him and Leaf. Noticing his intense stare, the woman grabbed his shoulder.

“Travis,” she said with a bit of urgency in her voice. “Hey, stop it,” she shook him a tiny bit.

He gritted his teeth but released the magic before he’d be **** to cast it. Closing his eyes for a moment, he slowly turned toward her.

“I don’t like it, either, but keeping a low profile is about not getting involved. Let’s just go,” she urged him, pulling him away from the field.

Slowly, he **** his body to resume his movements. In a sluggish motion, he started walking behind his companion, words he’d heard replaying over and over in his mind. How could he simply move away from this scenery? He felt a quiet voice in the back of his mind. It was talking to him.

'This is wrong.' it whispered, resonating exactly with his inner beliefs. It wasn’t right for anyone to **** another. It wasn’t proper to bully the weaker. For a moment, he wanted to turn around, but Leaf’s hand on his wrist pulled him forward, and he didn’t have much of a will to resist her.

‘The strong should protect the weak.’ his heart ached when he heard the womanly voice speak in his mind. It filled his ears, reverberating within his skull for a few seconds. 'Kanya... what should I do...?' he wondered for a moment almost as though he expected an answer to come.

...

'I should stop that man.' his hand twitched. Disgust filled his mind. Travis felt his heart hurt from the weight that suddenly got pressed onto it. The time around seemed to slow down as all the imagery around him turned into nothingness. An echo reverberated in his mind. A scream, of sorts, prompted him to turn around. What was it saying? He wasn’t sure. It kind of sounded like… it was calling out his name?

“--avis,” suddenly, he felt Leaf tighten her grip around his wrist. “Travis!” she yanked his hand a bit.

“H-Huh?” he blinked, looking back at Leaf. In her stare, he noticed a glint of worry. “Sorry, did you say something?”

“Let’s go,” She said, pulling him forward.

But…

'I have to stop that man.' Travis felt the voice in his mind speak again, its voice soaked in the guilt that he was feeling. For a moment, it felt like he couldn’t move a muscle no matter how much he tried to. But he fought. He did what he could. He couldn’t just leave. To him, it would be the same as screaming at the youngling himself.

He heard that man shout something at the boy again. This, finally, seemed to give Travis just that bit of strength he needed to break out of his companion’s grasp.

He turned around, staring daggers at the old man, who didn’t seem to even notice as he came a bit closer, stepping forward with heavy steps. Soil started to enter his boots, but he didn’t care one bit, nor did he care for Leaf’s hand that was trying to pull him away. With a quick gesture, he **** her hand off of his, and one fierce gaze into her eyes caused her to shudder back if only enough for him to have a one-on-one talk.

“Old-timer,” he said, stopping roughly 10 meters from the man.

At first, there seemed to be no answer. The man looked with an angered gaze at the youngling struggling with the farming tool, not caring at all for the newcomer. However, as a <Mana Bolt> suddenly flew right past his nose, he was prompted to turn around, surprise and agitation on his face.

“Shouldn’t you listen when someone is talking to you, old geezer?” Travis asked with anger in his voice.

“You dare attack me, traveler?!” fumes seemed to be coming out of the man’s mouth as he locked his eyes with Apostle’s. “Do you have a **** wish?!” he asked, getting his hand on the handle of a tool by his belt.

“I was just scaring off a rat,” Travis replied, not even blinking as he reciprocated the ireful stare. “But I got your attention instead.”

“Why do you barge in on my field?!”

“Can’t you give the youngling a bit of rest? He looks like he’s about to faint.”

“What do you care? He’s my son and worker!”

“So what? Don’t you see he’s not fit for it? Why do you **** him?”

“I’m teaching him what he needs to know! What would you know about farming!” the man spouted some words and almost seemed to spit at Travis with clear ridicule.

Travis glanced at the young man, who had stopped his work, huffing heavily, but still looking at them both with distress. His hands shook as he gathered the strength he still had leftover in him and resumed his struggles.

“Then you taught him a wrong, old-timer,” Apostle made a remark, looking at the youngling, and then at the old man.

“What did you say?!” the elder man suddenly exploded with even more rage than before. “What would a traveler like you even know?!!”

Travis constricted his released fist for a moment but looked at the boy again, and vented a bit of air from his lungs, attempting to calm down.

“Let me make you a proposition, old man.”

“What nonsense are you--“

“Listen up,” Travis summoned three <Mana Bolts> to his hand, prompting the old farmer to shut his trap. “You want this field done by noon? I’ll do it in place of that boy,” he said, glancing at the worker, who visibly tensed up at his statement.

“I-- I'm not paying--"

“I’ll do it for free. Hell, I’ll give you 10 gold pieces,” Travis gritted his teeth momentarily but didn’t shy from his proposal.

The old man quickly seemed to calm down a bit, upon hearing the price tag on Travis’s proposal. “...What is your condition?”

“If I finish it on time, you will promise to treat him properly from now on. You will treat him with respect, as a father should treat his son, and not **** him to harm himself to do the work,” Travis said, canceling the spells in his hand.

“And if you don’t?” asked the man, a glimmer in his eyes. For such a price, there should be equal compensation, or at least that’s what he thought.

“I will willingly finish the rest of the field, pay you 20 gold, and you’ll do what you want afterward.”

“Do you have the wager?” the old timer asked without hesitation. 20 gold wasn’t something rare to have, but he still wanted to see if Travis wasn’t pulling his leg in there.

Without a second wasted, Travis pulled his backpack down and rummaged in its insides for a moment before he pulled out a pouch. The clattering of coins rang in the air for a moment, causing the old man’s eyes to widen a bit.

“Check it yourself,” he said, his anger now starting to abate as he handed the pouch to the man.

During the conversation between them, Leaf and the young worker were standing a few meters away from them, and neither of them was sure what they should do. Elf woman looked over at the boy and turned her gaze away before he noticed. She couldn’t lie, she also felt a weight in her heart when she heard the man abusing the boy. But she knew they shouldn’t get involved; the whole point of laying low was to not interfere. Still, she already knew Travis wouldn’t step down now. For some reason, she got the impression that he felt offended by the situation. Like… it was him in place of that boy.

The old man quickly counted the coins. As he finished, he took one of them and bit it lightly without hesitation. Although it wasn’t very obvious, the coin had a very slight dent; it was undeniably real.

“Old timer, do we have a deal?” Travis asked.

The man looked at him, and then at the worker. “Norbert, leave him the plow and come here.”

“Let him stay,” Travis said. “I’ll teach him how it’s done.”

The old man squinted his eyes at him but didn’t seem to disagree much. “Fine, stay with him. I’ll be watching you from the road. Don’t try anything stupid.”

“…huh?” the worker made a quiet sound, unsure of what he should do.

“Are you deaf? Give him the plow!” the old man shouted at him before moving away. “You’re working with him now!”

“Y-Yes…” Norbert said, slowly stepping toward Travis and holding out the tool. “H-Here… mister…”

“Hey,” they both heard Leaf’s voice. She looked at the older one with a gaze betraying both her curiosity and anger. “A word?” she signed with her head to her side.

“Hey, wait for me. I’ll come back in a moment,” Travis turned to Norbert, to which the boy weakly nodded.

The two of them stepped a few meters from the boy. Taking a look around, Leaf confirmed that they could converse freely, and got her hand over Travis’ shoulder, bringing their heads up close.

“Travis. What. The. Fuck,” she whispered angrily.

“I know, I know. I’m not exactly keeping a low profile. But… I just couldn’t leave.”

“That’s another issue. The one I mean is, do you know what the deadline even is? Noon is in less than 3 hours. There’s no way you can do this alone, you’ll faint halfway. I’m sure even a seasoned farmer would need a bull to do it so fast.”

“I’ve been a farmer before, Leaf. I know how to do this,” he nodded, putting on a reassuring smile.

“Travis, there’s a difference between having farming knowledge and a farming skill,” she put heavy emphasis on the last word. There seemed to be a bit of urgency in her tone. Was she that worried about his success?

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. Just trust me on this.”

“*Sigh* Honestly, for some reason I’m not even surprised,” she smiled wryly. “Just… don’t disappoint. I'll be watching, but you know I can't get involved much, right?"

“That being said, I have something to ask of you. Listen closely.”

-3 minutes later-

“Are you ready?” Travis looked at the boy next to him.

“…y-yes, mister,” he said, but the life of his voice seemed to be mostly gone.

‘It’s even worse than it seemed. That fucker… what did he do to you?’ Travis shivered at the thought but didn’t let it discourage him from working. Actually, more than anything, it only made his resolve burn stronger. “Look closely. Your main hand should be up here, and the other one down here,” he said, taking a position with the plow. “And now, you can apply much less strength to get the same results. See?” Travis presented, pressing the plow into the ground and pulling it, easily taking it through a few meters of earth. ‘Increasing Strength was a wise idea. It’s coming in handy.’

“…”

“Hey, did you get that?”

“Yes…” said the boy, but there was barely any more response. In a way, he kind of seemed like a golem, emotionless eyes staring at the plow as it moved through the ground.

“…alright, then. Let’s keep going.”

-About 30 minutes later-

“Hey,” Travis turned to the worker boy. “Your name is Norbert, right?”

“Yes,” he replied shortly. For half an hour, he seemed to become at least somewhat accustomed to Travis’s presence, and his words appeared to gain at least a bit of spirit. Was it because nobody yelled at him now? Travis didn’t want to think about that.

“I’m Hector,” replied the Apostle. “That guy is your father, huh?”

“…yes.”

“A piece of shit, isn’t he?” Travis formed a small smirk, scanning over the boy’s expression.

“W-What?” Norbert seemed surprised and scared in equal measure hearing the words.

“Don’t worry. He’s all the way there,” he nodded toward the other end of the field. "You can speak comfortably with me,” and then, he sent a <Suggestion>.

<Maybe Mister Hector is right. Father is all the way back there.>

There didn’t seem to be much of an obstacle on the way to Norbert’s mind. ‘His mental constitution is ruined…’ he recalled Aria in Penalty Zone. Back there, when Travis was only as strong as a fresh new Classless, using <Suggestion> on her was not difficult in the slightest. And now, this boy seemed to have about the same level of resistance. No, actually, didn’t he seem to be even easier to manipulate? Was it because of Travis’s increase in the WP level? He wasn’t sure. Even if that was the case, he knew that this <Suggestion> would be a bit conflicting, and yet… no resistance?

“…I… I think that… f-father is… a complicated person,” he said, unsure of what words to pick.

“He’s a prick. You don’t have to coax your words with me,” Travis replied a little nonchalantly. “As I said, you can speak comfortably. Whatever you tell me, I won’t tell a soul. I promise you that.”

“…”

“Does he treat you like that all the time?”

“…Father… has a lot on his head…” the boy replied shyly, clearly not wanting to agree with the words.

‘He won’t tell me anything at this rate… <Suggestion>.’

<Mister Hector seems trustworthy. Maybe I can tell him the truth.>

Travis felt the bolt of psionic energy circle around Norbert’s mind before effortlessly making its way inside. Apostle felt his heart skip a beat as his veins bulged.

‘What? I didn’t even want that one to connect! This kid… is there anything left of his mind, even?!’ a thought full of rage erupted in the center of his mind. Initially, he simply wanted to test how much he could influence the youngling’s mind, but… this was unexpected, and not in a good way. Just how vile one would have to be to lead another to such a state?

“You don’t seem to like working on the farm.”

“…”

“It’s alright. I know it’s not easy to fit in.”

<Father is far away from us. I can tell mister Hector the truth.>

“…I hate it,” the boy said slowly. “I hate working like this. I... I learned new methods of plowing... to make it easier, but…”

“Your father didn’t like it?”

“No… h-he didn’t,” Norbert shook his head a bit. “He said that… the old way is the best…”

“…”

-About half an hour before noon-

Travis kept on working, sweat traveling down his temples and cheeks as he pulled the plow over and over again. He was already near the finish line, as the final few rows had to be done to call the work completed. Looking at Norbert’s father, he could see the surprise on his face at the speed of his work. Truly, there seemed to be no indication that he’d be able to finish it on time, given how exhausted he seemed just barely halfway there, but… suddenly, it was like Travis got some kind of second wind going for him.

Leaf, sitting on the ground near the field, seemed just as shocked at the spectacle, slowly fidgeting with her cosmetic arrow in her hands. ‘Is he really that determined?’ she questioned herself. ‘It’s like he’d rather die than not do this job on time.’

Meanwhile, Travis focused on the job, only making a few mental notes on how much was left. ‘Using that <Full Restore> might look like a waste… I don’t care.’ he kind of wanted to snort but **** himself not to. ‘I’m sure I’ll get another one in a few days.’ he thought, looking at Norbert, who was watching his movements carefully. Yes, it was a risk (since he might need that save soon), but that wasn't on Travis's mind.

From other news, using <Suggestion> over and over on Norbert to help him dig for information did manage to level the skill up again. Its cost didn’t decrease this time around, but Travis knew, he felt that it became a little bit stronger. It was like getting used to using a sword. Having figured out some basics, he was now gripping it more strongly, and with more confidence, thus increasing its power. And, on top of working with both his physique and mana, Travis also kept on pondering about other things.

‘If I’m right, and the supreme priest really is an Apostle, I doubt he’d be around. Changing a class resets your level, so he’d obviously go and hunt.’ he had thought about it a lot already. It did make sense. The reason why Inspectors were called upon to the capital was just as simple – they were to be checked for traces of mana that an Apostle would have. Sieving through the authorities to ensure that he couldn’t be backstabbed.

But then, how could he be so certain that it was the supreme priest? Why couldn’t it have been the king, Rhobard IV, or one of his children? Travis did initially think it could’ve been someone other than the supreme priest, but after reading through what information was available on all the gods, none of them would pick them. Two of them especially came to mind.

Hanil, the God of ****, disliked royalty and anything that dealt with them. The reason for such disdain was not stated. Maybe it had something to do with his very modest personality? Perhaps he hated people who boasted their treasures? Travis found pondering about those possibilities difficult.

His ponders shifted toward Tanya, Goddess of Dungeons and Hunts. Her personality was described as 'shrewd and quiet, a person who stays in shadows and prefers to set traps to engaging in direct conflict'. The description, while somewhat lacking, was enough to infer at least something. She was someone who preferred staying out of view and reach, and the likelihood that she'd choose someone of a high position was negligible. If anyone, she'd pick someone who'd stay as far away from others as possible. The chance that Travis would come across the Apostle of Dungeons and Hunts before the decisive fight was nonexistent.

Of the other gods, only Sia fit the equation. She was described as ‘full of herself, a narcissist who hates insults and ridicule’ among other things. On its own, this didn’t mean much, but when taking into account that the Forna’s church was devoted to her servitude, it made sense for her to choose an Apostle from there. After all, wouldn’t that make her more popular? And who better would be to become her Apostle than a person sitting in the highest, with the most powerful position? A person who would definitely be able to access any hunting ground in the country was just perfect to be picked.

That was what made Travis’s suspicions align all too much. For once, he was sure of what he concluded. But that didn’t mean he could be sure of his victory, should he ever cross his path with that person. Apostle of Light was ridiculously powerful from the very beginning skills all the way to the last ones. Sia had powerful AoE spells that could both hurt her enemies and buff her allies, extremely strong single-target abilities, and, perhaps most importantly, ridiculously powerful equipment, known as the four divine artifacts. It was said that they were created by Wolqa for Sia (for a reason unspecified).

Caori was an immensely powerful polearm (a glaive, to be exact) that boasted an impossible cutting and stabbing ****. To it, the concept of 'armor' was foreign. It was a masterpiece that no mortal blacksmith could ever hope to even imitate.

Lipear was called ‘shield beyond shields’. It was a large kite shield with a sharpened edge that allowed it to double as a weapon. From what RALS provided, the defense value of this item could be summed in one word: absolute.

Mondes was a name for the helmet that gave its wearer clarity of mind beyond any skill. It was a powerful artifact that could even block Redion’s magic to a degree (which meant it would be a big pain in Travis’s side, should the Apostle of Light have it equipped when they fight).

Chali was a bulky suit of armor, consisting of a breastplate, plated leggings, and arm protection. It was an armor created specifically to counter Sia’s terrible Endurance statistic, letting her Apostle survive more than just a few hits.

Overall, the Apostle of Light was undeniably going to be a difficult opponent to fight, no matter the stage of the Competition. The only genuine weakness that AoL had was the limitation of MP. All his abilities would consume mana (and most of them quite a lot of it), including just summoning the divine artifacts. Some stronger skills would consume hundreds if not thousands of units of MP. This limiting factor meant that unless he had many mana potions with himself, drawn-out battles were a guaranteed loss for him.

But Travis stopped his pondering as he made a quick turn, beginning the last row of the field. Norbert was already used to his tempo, and walked right next to him, leaning back in perfect timing to avoid being accidentally poked by the plow as Apostle absent-mindedly worked in the field. Eventually, the two of them were going far away from the two people who waited for them to finish their work. Looking up a little, Travis noticed how Leaf nodded slightly, showing him that he still had time.

"Huh," he made a sound, stopping his work for a long moment. Swiping a hand on his forehead, he huffed lightly. "Looks like we're going to be done in just a while. Wonder what hour it is," he said, a little absent-mindedly. 'Maybe I can ask RALS. Or, since Daily Quests reset every midnight, I can open it and subst--'

"Twenty minutes until noon," he heard Norbert speak quietly. Turning to him, the man noticed that the brown-haired boy was staring at his hand, a tiny item therein. Then, he raised his eyes toward the horizon. The other hand was poised in front of him in a seemingly random gesture. However, as he shifted his hand a little, Travis could see a glimmer in his blue eye followed by a small nod as he seemingly confirmed some information.

'His motion... it's not random.' he conceded after a second. 'RALS, can you tell me what time is it at the moment?'

[Processing...]

[11:38:25]

'...how did he...?' a ponder entered his mind as Apostle looked at the boy. Sensing his stare, Norbert suddenly let his head down.

"S-Sorry," he said quietly, his tone shaky.

"It's alright," Travis nodded. "You can speak comfortably with me. I'm actually a little impressed. How can you tell the time like this?"

Norbert looked to his side for a moment. "I just... calculate it."

"Calculate? How?"

"...the distance from the Sun to the horizon shifts predictably. Sometimes it's higher, sometimes it's lower, but it always is at its peak during noon, when it passes the south line," he answered, his gaze not daring to meet Travis's.

"The south line?" the golden-eyed man asked, a little surprised.

"...that's what I call where my item is pointing," the boy replied sheepishly, showing Travis the contents of his hand. Without waiting for anything, Travis focused his gaze. However, a surprising notification came forth.

[You do not own that item. The analysis is impossible without the owner's agreement or an appraisal skill.]

'???' Travis formed a slightly perplexed expression. 'So... is this the limiting factor of just relying on Sense...?' he mused for half a second. Then, he parted his mouth, "Can I take a better look at it?"

The boy glanced at him, slightly surprised, but nodded, bringing his hand closer. Immediately, Travis repeated his intention.

[Crude compass

Rating: Normal (Broken)

Durability: 5/8

*Requires to be still for at least 3 seconds to align itself. The longer it is held, the better the accuracy.

*There is a high probability of giving an incorrect initial result.

*There is a low probability of giving a perfect initial result.

*There is a minimal probability of reducing durability when used.

Created out of a piece of magnetite encased in a bronze container. It aligns itself with the magnetic field of the world, showing the direction of north and south. Miraculously, it doesn't seem to be breaking down yet.

However, its construction is poor, and the guiding material is very weak. It requires good insight to use effectively, and every measurement bears some error.

Weight: 60 g]

"It... always points to the south after a while," Norbert continued. "So I imagine a line going from here to the horizon, and... I call it 'south line'."

"Where did you get this from?"

"...I made it."

'Made it...? To calculate the hour with such precision using this... can just anyone do that?' Travis wondered for a moment. This boy... appeared slightly differently in his eyes, now.

"...s-sorry. I know, it's a useless ability."

"What?" Travis raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say that. It's impressive."

Norbert didn't appear too convinced of his words. "What use is there of such an ability when I can't handle the plow..." his voice died down quickly, the boy closing his eyes and sighing.

"Knowing a direction and time is also useful," Travis riposted. "And to have made this on your own is not something just anyone could do."

"...if only Father saw it the way you do, mister Hector..." the boy's voice trailed off, barely any strength within.

“Your father doesn’t approve of that?”

“No… he keeps saying that… I should stop doing useless things and learn fieldwork.”

"Now that I think about it, what do you enjoy doing?"

"W-What?"

“Working on a farm is not for you, I can tell,” Travis said. “But have you thought about what suits you?”

Norbert glanced to his side, visibly uncertain. His mouth parted, "I always liked... calculating things. Mathematics, and the like."

"Mathematics?"

“I just… I'm good at figuring numbers, many people told me. And I like how… things interact in the world, how I can describe them. Everything can be described with that, I believe.”

“I see," 'A mind seeking improvements, and a calculative one, at it... why would your father...?' half a question stirred in Travis's mind. Something about the situation appeared... bizarre. "Curiosity is a good trait to have."

"...thank you, mister Hector."

...

A few long seconds passed in silence as Travis got a better hold of the plow again. Eventually, his mouth parted once more, “Tell me, does your father drink?” he asked, keeping up a facade of a neutral expression. Travis already had a rough idea of why things were the way they were for the boy, but now he had to check his suspicions. He had cast enough <Suggestions> to be sure the boy would be truthful.

The boy turned his head away slightly, his blue eyes seemingly glimmering as though he wanted to reply.

“Every day, I take it?” Travis didn’t even need to hear an answer to know it.

“…yes."

‘His bruises… they’re not from work.’ he made a realization. The strength of his grip on the plow increased to the point where he was kind of surprised at how his fingers were still intact by the time he relaxed them a little.

Travis took a short, ragged breath, hitting the earth with the plow and resuming his work.

“How long for?”

<Mister Hector will understand the truth. I want to tell him.>

“…ever since mother died… about 4 years,” he said.

“…I’m sorry, Norbert.”

“…don’t be, mister Hector. I’m… used to this,” a weird statement left the boy’s mouth. For but a moment, his mouth appeared to flash a tiny smile, almost as though he tried to reassure him.

“What…?”

“…every day is… the same. I get up, make breakfast, and… *Sniff* I just… stare… at the knife… a-and… I wonder… ‘Will I… do it today?’,” Norbert was looking at his hands, tears flowing down his cheeks and dripping from his nose as his body was shaking.

“…”

“A-And I… I can’t… bring myself to… to…” suddenly, the boy burst into tears. “E-Even though I just... *Sniff!* can't... find any m-meaning in this..."

Travis felt a **** constrict around his heart as he heard the boy’s words. ‘He’s yet to truly experience life, and… he’s already had enough of it.’ just barely focusing on the work anymore, Apostle did his best to not look directly at the boy. He felt conflicted. On one hand, he knew it was none of his business. He had no real right to interfere in the family situation between Norbert and his father. And on the other hand, it wouldn’t feel right at all to just let the issue slide. ‘I want to help him. Even if by just a bit, I will.’

<Tomorrow will be better. I will make it better, even if only a little bit.>

A singular thought subconsciously transformed into a <Suggestion> that was sent into the boy’s mind instantly. Just like previously, it didn’t meet an obstacle on its way, but unexpectedly, Travis felt Norbert’s mind reacting. It was as if it… suddenly came back to life.

“Don’t think like that,” Travis said. “Your father is a complete dick, but it doesn’t mean he's right at all.”

The boy didn't answer, sniffling a little. A small glimmer of... hope, almost, seemed to appear within his blue eyes.

“Now, hey, don’t cry,” Travis tried to calm the boy. “Listen… we all have our ups and downs. But you can’t see the ups unless you raise your head, okay?”

“…?” the boy looked at him a little strangely for a moment.

“What I mean is, there are many roads you can take in life, and nobody, I mean NOBODY can **** you into a set one. The old way leads nowhere. Seeking improvement is how you'll reach great heights one day. You have great qualities for that, I believe. It’s all in your hands. You just have to believe in that.”

“…c-can… *Sniff* can I ask a question?”

“Sure. What’s on your mind?”

“…can I... go with you?”

“…?” Travis suddenly stopped his work to look at him.

“I… I hate father… *Sniff* He doesn’t… he doesn’t even c-consider me his son… I… I want to run away.”

‘I… I just wanted to give him hope… I can’t be taking a kid into my team.’

“…please.”

“Listen, Norbert… I can’t,” Travis said, feeling the crushing weight on his heart. “I can’t just… take you away. What I do is not something I can get you involved in."

The boy looked away slightly. He didn’t cry anymore, but his overall composure was weak. Yet, there appeared to be something about his posture that suggested... helpless acceptance.

“But don’t look so gloomy. I can help you in other ways. Listen up.”

-About 5 minutes later-

“Old-timer,” Travis said, standing next to Leaf, roughly 2 meters between them and the man with his son. “As promised, the field is finished. Hey,” he turned to Leaf. “Could you confirm the time?”

Elf woman immediately reached into her backpack and quickly pulled out a time-measuring device powered by mana.

“…About a quarter till noon,” she said.

“Old man, care to confirm?” Travis looked at the man.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a similar device to what Leaf held. “10 until noon,” He confirmed, although the tone of his voice betrayed that he did so with ****.

“Then, it is confirmed that the work was finished before noon. You remember the terms of our deal, right?” Travis took out the pouch with money. “Here, as agreed,” He pulled out some gold coins.

Norbert’s father accepted the money and counted it. “Checks out.”

“Good. As for the other part of our agreement…” He made a step closer to the man. “Don’t think that just because you won’t see me for now you will be able to not heed it. You don’t know when, you don’t know where, but I will come back. And if I catch you doing what you did before again…” he raised his hand, a <Mana Bolt> already up and ready to be shot. “…you’ll wish you hadn’t. Am I clear?”

<This crazy fucker… I should do what he says!>

Travis felt a bit of resistance around the old man’s mind, but there wasn’t nearly enough to stop his mental strike. In the man’s green eyes there seemed to be a bit of fear forming as he seemed to flinch momentarily.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Oh, and Norbert. I’d like to give you something,” Travis turned around and nodded to Leaf.

His companion nodded weakly, after which she reached into her backpack, bringing out a small pack, seemingly made out of leaves. As she handed it to Travis, their eyes met, and he saw the bit of uncertainty residing behind her sapphires.

“Here,” Apostle said, turning back and handing the thing out for Norbert to take. “It’s herbal medicine. It’ll help you recover from bruises you got when you worked.”

“…t-thank you, m-mister,” the boy made an unsure step forward and got hold of the medicine.

“Then, I wish you both a good reaping season,” Travis said, nodding a little and stepping back by Leaf. “Goodbye.”

Nobody answered, both the father and his son only looking for a short moment as Travis and Leaf departed, continuing on their journey.

As a distance of about two hundred meters was made, the elf woman asked, “Did you seriously just poison a kid?” there was both surprise and a bit of confusion in her voice.

“Of course, I didn’t,” he shook his head lightly. “I filled Norbert in on my plan.”

“How can you be certain he won’t spoil it for his father?”

“…I just know,” he replied, not wanting to share the contents of his talk with the boy. “You could say I believe in him.”

“…but why did you even do that? Why go to such extents?”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t have stepped in at all?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know. I just want to know your opinion, Leaf. Should I not have done what I did?”

She looked away before she sighed. “This is probably not what you want to hear, but no. You shouldn’t have.”

“Why? Because I’m a forbidden class?”

“Specifically,” she said, but it almost sounded like she hissed. “Is putting your life on the line worth not having that kid shouted at? Is it?”

He didn't reply, instead sighing lightly.

“You’ve been a Psion for what, two weeks now? History never treats forbidden classes with any semblance of hospitality or even respect. The moment people find out, they want you dead. It doesn’t matter to them how much good you did, to them you’ll always remain a twisted manipulator who uses people for his own amusement. Again, was that worth it? Possibly having you revealed and killed?”

“Yes," he replied without hesitation.

“…?”

“It was the right thing to do, Leaf," he said, his voice seeping with determination and conviction. His yellow eyes appeared to hold a deeper presence that made the elf woman nearly shudder. "I don't care that it was risky."

“*Sigh* Life is about making tough calls, Travis. If I could, I’d have helped out, too. But that’s the point. All it takes is one mistake to end your life. I saw families turn on their own children for having a forbidden class, even when the kids didn’t want them. Being one of us is a permanent stigma. That’s why it can never be revealed, especially not through accidents. You can change your class, but so what, if people already know? That’s why you have to understand, Travis. You have to weigh the pros and cons and make smart choices. Following your heart is a noble thing, but following your brain will let you live.”

“…you’re repeating yourself, you know?”

“What am I to do when you don’t seem to get it?” Leaf snorted lightly with a glint of annoyance. “I thought that once I told you that you’d at least understand it a bit.”

“…”

“Still, there’s one thing I don’t get.”

“Hmm?”

“When you went to stop that old fart, you seemed… agitated. Offended. Kind of… hurt, even,” she said. “It’s like you took it personally, what was happening to that kid. But why?”

He looked to his side momentarily. His yellow eyes glimmered as he saw the huge city, monumental even from the distance. Then, he sighed weakly, "I suppose it's how I was raised."

Leaf squinted her eyes a little. "That does not sound like an answer. You don't have to hide that, you know I won't tell anyone, right?"

"*Sigh* Let's just go, Leaf," Travis replied, taking a slight turn and going straight east.

“Travis… Autir is that way,” she said, pointing slightly more toward the north.

"I know. There's somewhere I want to stop by first," 'The main roads will probably be surveilled anyway. We best avoid them as long as we can.'

“What? Where?”

“Holia. It’s a village about 30 kilometers east. A tiny detour, per se,” ‘With it being roughly 80 kilometers south of Autir, it’s not exactly that much of a detour anyway.’

“But why?”

“…I want to visit my sister.”

“You have a sister?” Leaf’s eyes widened.

“What? Is that so weird?”

“N-No, it’s just… You never told me you had relatives.”

“Let’s just go, Leaf.”

With somewhat hurried steps, the two of them marched quickly between buildings in the village ring around Poiri, and then into a large forest, going up and down the hills toward the east.

As they were walking, Travis suddenly received an unexpected notification.

[Rulebreaker smiles at your actions.]

…

‘WHAT?’

---

[[Name: Travis Salliv
Class: Apostle of Tricks & Manipulation
Level: 26
HP: 780/780
MP: 58/100
WP: 302/520]

[Strength: 55
Agility: 80
Endurance: 60
Intelligence: 50
Wisdom: 32
Sense: 35
AP: 0]

[Possessed abilities: Suggestion lvl.3, Hypnosis lvl.1, Mana Bolt lvl.1]

[Current status: No anomalies]]

---

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